50,000 Volts
by ernestgoestocamp
Summary: [A Pikachu transformation fanfic] Being stuck in the middle of the Viridian Forest makes me realize that escape from this dangerous place might not be so easy. If I do manage to return home, will I still be Lucas Bright or just another Pikachu?
1. Yellow fuzz on my skin

_I am surprised at the amount of people reading this story at the moment. I thank all of the readers who are interested. Also, if you'd like to leave a comment that helps me improve the story then that is appreciated. Stay tuned and enjoy!_

**Pokémon**

** 50,000 Volts**

**Chapter one: Yellow fuzz on my skin**

"What are you doing Luke!?" A tall slender woman in her early twenties asks.

"It's a going out of business party, I'm done!" A tall man shouts from across the room.

The man shouting is me. My name is Lucas Bright. I am a young man in my late twenties. I'm just a guy who likes to organize things and wear nice clothes with a green hat. Not much else to say about me other than the fact that I was angry at the moment. I was throwing boxes everywhere as well as crushing everything in my path like a wild Rhyhorn. So much for organizing things.

The woman runs in my direction and then she stretches her hands toward me, "Look at me Luke, It's not over. So what if you just found out that everything you sold all this time was contraband? I know that sounds stupid but-"

I look at her. At the time, I wasn't thinking about my manners. I didn't mean to shout at her, "Are you serious! I just found out that for almost ten years now I've been selling illegal goods to people who are probably in jail because of me!"

She holds my hand and that seems to work. I look up to meet with those two gorgeous rose-colored eyes that she has. Jennifer, or otherwise known as Jen, is a close friend of mine and she always knows how to calm me down in a bad situation. Is it magic? Is she a witch? I didn't care as long as I was okay.

As my breathing slows back to normal, I begin to clean the mess that I had made, which consisted of fallen boxes and broken glass shards scattered all over the floor.

"10 years…wasted."

"You worry too much, that's your problem," She says while she helps me clean up the very small warehouse, "The police haven't even caught you yet and there's a good chance they never will if you think about it."

"You know as well as I that this region has strict rules about contraband, very…strict rules" I pick up the last box, which has broken glass inside it, and I walk out of the warehouse and into our office inside the store. The store itself contains countless number of medicines all lined up on each side of the store.

"Jen, I want to go back to Kanto. Back to pallet town…" I sat down on a wooden stool next to a slightly dusty counter we have inside the small store. I place the last box on this counter. I wipe sweat from my forehead, taking deep breaths every once in a while.

"You're going home because of this?"

"No…this was the last straw."

"I see. Are you Homesick too?"

I look up toward her and then I look at the box, "Yes, and because I want to start over."

She walks toward my desk casually and picks up a Pokémon clock, the shape of a Pikachu, and brandished it in front of my face as she leans against the desk.

"Why not settle down instead?"

I took notice of her pose, and i'm happy to say that she's attractive. I examine her structure: Jen is wearing a red jacket with a white shirt underneath and bright blue jeans. She also wears a hat just like me but it's red instead. Hidden inside her hat is long red hair. Needless to say that it is not that of a dyed color but instead is one-hundred percent natural. It hangs over her nice round set of...

"Stop staring at me like that!"

"Ahhh!" I almost fall from my chair. She growls in slight anger, "One second ago you were talking about how you're so homesick and then all of a sudden you stare at me like a beggar! What's wrong with you this morning?." She asks.

"I'm sorry! Can you say what you said before?"

She rolls her eyes, "Why don't you just settle down?"

"I...I think not, not here at least." My voice trailed off slightly. At the back of my mind I felt as though that was too harsh.

Jen places the clock with barely noticeable force on the desk. She walks toward the counter and opens the box but she quickly closes it again.

"Luke, I won't stop you. This is your job after all, but I can't follow you to Kanto."

"I understand, we've been through a lot, but I feel as though I made a terrible mistake 18 years ago"

"I've heard this many times, but what's in the past is the past. You left Kanto 10 years ago because of your biggest mistake. She taunted.

"It's not that" I stated, "I want to get a Pokémon license."

"So…that's why, you want to become a Pokémon Trainer."

I looked up toward Jen and smiled, "A Pokémon Master." I retorted, "I was too scared to start when I was 10 and-"

Jen tries to hold in her giggling; however, it soon explodes into a hearty laughter.

"This is funny to you?"

"Yes but not in that way…I was reminded of one of my old friends. She is a veteran trainer and she was beaten by a 10-year old novice in a matter of seconds. I imagined the same thing will happen to you too if you do become a Master."

"So you support me but at the same time…?" I blink twice with confusion.

"Oh come on…it's bound to happen to every veteran trainer, just look at all the experienced Gym Leaders getting their butts kicked by youngsters who have only been around for a few weeks."

I couldn't help but laugh myself, "Well, that's true."

"Come on, I don't mind if you go actually as long as you come back from time to time."

"Oh really?"

"Yea, I guess…if you do manage to go up the ranks, you can come here and we can be the perfect duo!" She claims proudly.

...

It's an early September morning inside the international airport. People and Pokémon from many different places converge here at this very place: the central terminal. I was about to enter the checkpoint to flight 124. My destination: Viridian City, Kanto.

Jen takes off her sunglasses and hugs me tightly, "No matter what happens Luke, do whatever you want to do. Don't let anyone discourage you from your dreams."

I smile as I return the hug, "Thank you Jen, for helping me out through the thick and thin. I've only known you for awhile, but it feels like it's been so much more."

"No problem Luke, just be sure to keep in touch okay?"

-Attention, all passengers for flight 124 must proceed to checkpoint A2 as soon as possible-

We break from our tight hug as I grab my bag. I walk towards the line which will soon separate us completely.

"You know I will, I promise."

Jen smiles softly as I enter the restricted territory. Held tightly In her hand, there is a bag of flowers ranging from brightly colored roses and numerous Hydrangeas scattered around.

A few hours later, I am finally in Viridian City. I explore the city as I feel a rush of nostalgia and a breath of fresh air: a new beginning. I loved it when my parents took me here to watch battles from time to time and it used to be a small city, but to my surprise it was now noisy. The smell of new asphalt and sweat filled the air. As time passed, I went by the Viridian Gym only to find a young trainer enter inside. I decide to turn around and check out the impending battle inside the gym. There are two guards standing by the large golden door.

"Only one trainer at a time citizen." The first guard says.

"I'm not a trainer, I'm just watching if that's okay."

The first guard checks my pockets and bag and then walks back toward his guard spot.

"Proceed" The second one demands as the doors slowly opens.

This place, as I remember it, is gargantuan and filled with classic architecture from an earlier era as well as a rectangular dirt-covered arena where the battles happen. I sat down on the floor and observed the soon to be Pokémon Battle.

But then I notice an older man standing next to me. He is wearing a suit. Soon afterwards, he turns toward me, "Are you friends with Giovanni or the trainer?" He expects a response.

I replied, "Neither, just here to watch. I'm a big fan of Giovanni"

"I see. Would you be interested to see the battle from a better place? I would be glad to escort you to the balcony if you like."

This completely catches me off guard! Giovanni, the Gym leader of Viridian City as I remember too vividly, lets complete strangers hang out in his crib? It sounds unlikely but I accept right away with no hesitation. Needless to say that I follow him upstairs to the balcony as I see that Mr. Giovanni is standing on the arena about to battle. Across the arena is a young teenage boy, who has a Pikachu on his shoulder and it's quite a small Pikachu. The boy turns to his right to find two guards in armor announcing the game.

_Each trainer may only use three Pokémon. There is no time-limit. Let the battle begin!_

Then a bell rings.

"Rhydon." Giovanni softly throws a Poké ball into the ground which releases a gray-color bipedal creature with a horn on its snout. The boy immediately throws his Poké ball in the air as well, "Goodluck Charmeleon!" A bright light comes out of the ball and forms a red reptilian creature afterwards. It roars with dignity.

"A fire-type and it's only in its first evolved form?" Giovanni laughs as he looks back at the boy, "You're going to need better strategy to defeat me." The man snaps his fingers, "Rhydon, fissure."

"Ember!" The boy retaliates as his Pokémon releases small flames from its mouth toward the Rhydon, but it endures the hit easily as the beast roars. It stomps on the ground resulting in a small portion of the arena slicing open that heads toward Charmeleon, "Dodge it!" The boy shouts but it's too late. His Pokémon falls inside the fissure and then the entire inside of it explodes with red light as the red reptilian monster is flown out and hits the ground hard afterwards. The fissure closes and the original shape of the arena returns.

"Come back!" The boy shouts as sweat falls from his forehead. His breathing gets very shallow as he pulls out an inhaler and breathes into it.

"Are you already doubting your chances of winning?"

The young teen thrashes his arm sideways, "N...never! Mankey go!"

Giovanni smirks, "I would say it's a good decision to use a fighting type on Rhydon, but it won't help you in the long run. I see that you haven't trained your team as much as you should have. Surely if you are a strong trainer as you have stated before, you would have all of your teammates with high enough levels to defeat me."

"My team is fine!"

"We shall see."

As I watch the battle continue I look back toward the man, "Thanks for this. This is really cool," I say, flattered, while leaning on the balcony. This is the first battle I've seen in a while and I'm just eager to start training my very own Pokémon right this moment. In my heart I know that I can become the best Pokémon Master and I'm ready to prove myself to everybody back home that I will-

Suddenly, I feel extreme pain at the back of my head. Everything gets dark afterwards.

...

As I regain consciousness, I feel a surge of pain surround the back of my skull. I groan as I try to move but to no avail. There is a bright white light that blinds me instantly after I open my eyes, and I hear a familiar voice nearby.

"I'm sorry if my representative mistreated you back there, but we had to make sure you wouldn't try to break anything priceless in my private balcony" A man teased me.

"G…Mr. Giovanni?" I ask, aghast, as I try to open my eyes again to make sure it was him. It certainly was, and his faithful Persian is standing next to him.

"Why thank you, not many young hooligans like yourself add the Mr. when they identify me. Perhaps you can also…"

Still trying to adjust to the bright light I interrupt him, "Sir…your representative sent me up here claiming it was okay too"

"Do you honestly think we're still inside the gym?" He laughs as he pets his Pokémon.

Finally, I was able to examine my environment. It is rather high-tech with many machines surrounding me. In fact, there are many strange objects attached to my skin as my body began to respond to the many needles underneath my skin. My clothes were gone, replaced by a hospital gown. I look up to find numerous men and women in lab coats, which I assume to be either doctors or scientists. They are checking instruments every few seconds while some poured some strange liquid into several vials. One person, a female, to the right is holding a vial containing some sort of dark liquid. She took a syringe from a tray next to her and withdrew some of the fluid. She inspected its contents carefully. This immediately makes me look toward Giovanni. Sweat begins to fall from my temples.

"Sir, its kind that you brought me to the hospital after the incident, but I…" I try to say.

Mr. Giovanni roars in laughter, "You are quite the character, young man."

"I don't understand."

"It is apparent that you do not understand, for you see, you are my test subject."

I lift my head in confusion, but it was more from fear, "I beg your pardon Mr. Giovanni?"

"I see no reason to not tell you, so I'll say it. We needed a tourist from another region, so we identified you quite easily as you walked down our gym in those Sinnoh-themed clothing. We needed a person we can grab out of the streets with the least amount of worry."

"Sir, what exactly do you want from me?"

"You'll soon see." Giovanni snaps his fingers as two scientists: one forcefully held my head down and the other, the scientist from earlier, brandished the syringe in front of my face.

"Why are you doing this…?" I try to avoid the needle as nervousness seeps into pure fear.

"This formula will change the world; it will give humans limitless potential, perhaps even exceed the power of the strongest of Pokémon! You will thank me later when this works"

"Please don't!"

My resistance proves to be futile, for the scientist injects the dark fluid into my vein on my neck. I close my eyes in terror. They cover my mouth so I wouldn't emit an ear-piercing scream. The pain is unbearable, it's as if your blood vessels suddenly turned into flames as your organs were crushed by a rather unusual amount of pressure.

"Pipe down. If this little experiment is successful, I might let you leave our facility with no further observation from us or perhaps if you're interested enough you can join Team Rocket."

My eyes open slightly after I hear 'Team Rocket'.

He chuckles in amusement, "I can tell by your expression that you are as lost as a Psyduck, so allow me to explain: I am the boss of Team Rocket and all of its shining glory!" he proudly stretches his arms in opposite directions as if he is telling the world his secret, but I barely notice this because my pain worsens with each passing second.

"And by the way…don't ever interrupt me again."

Moments after he said that I feel my insides gradually begin to compact against one another in a gruesome way. Was I going to die? Did they poison me? I try so hard to pray, let alone think, to myself that somehow I was going to survive this. I could have passed out again from here, but my mind just kept fighting against the agonizing pain for some reason. Maybe it was to see what exactly was going on.

"Imagine humans with Pokémon abilities! Do you know how many people would be anxious enough to buy my formula? Millions no doubt and they would be willing to pay much more than that amount." He laughed, "I might even be revered by the scientific community for my accomplishments and then the world will truly know that I...Dr. Bartoli…what is that yellow fuzz growing on his skin?" Giovanni asks, confused.

I am also confused as I painfully look down to see patches of hair on my skin that has started to itch uncontrollably. Giovanni was right. Bright yellow…fur? Fur is the correct term because I feel one of the scientists try to get rid of it, which of course causes me to yelp in more pain.

"Dr. Bartoli! Tell me what is happening right now!" He shouts.

"This must be an unexpected side effect….oh no…" The female doctor explains. Giovanni pushed some of the scientists next to him aside as he rushes toward Bartoli with rage, "Not a very good explanation doctor, I want real answers now!"

The doctor examines her clipboard and other instruments on a table and then finally turns to Giovanni, "The formula is turning him into a Pokémon instead."

It looks as though Giovanni had lost his mind for a second as he tries to interpret what she had just said, "I spent a fortune on this project and you're telling me that it's not working!? Doctor, I suggest you fix this right now before you make me angry!"

"Yes sir!"

My bones and spine snap as they are compressed into smaller forms. By now I was screeching in pain.

"Control him! His body is in too much stress at the moment!" Bartoli ordered.

"We're trying!"

"You're not trying hard enough!"

If you saw me on that bed at that very moment, you would see that most of my body was already covered in this strange yellow fur and that I was shrinking little by little as time went by. My screams didn't stop, for they merely continued to get louder and more profound as my vocal cords began to shift. I felt an odd pressure on my cheeks as two red circles appeared opposite from each other on each cheek.

Giovanni rushes to stand next to me, "Must I do everything myself!? Be quiet!" he yells as he holds my mouth in place. Without thinking, I instinctively bite his hand as I find that my canines has grown sharper. He was disturbed but nonetheless determined, "Get me some tape, now!"

"Yes sir!" The man came back immediately with adhesive tape you normally find in office cubicles, but Giovanni exploded with frustration, "Not that tape you imbecile! Duct tape!"

My body kept on shrinking until I was about half the size of the bed, so I was essentially the size of a 10 year old boy and there were no signs that the change was ever going to stop. My hospital gown became, to be expected, too large to fit me. Both my fingers and toes gradually begin to feel numb and when I look toward my right hand to find it completely changed, it made me cringe: if I had known better I would have said that it now looks like the paws of a particular Pokémon.

I didn't have time to think about it because my ears were the next part of my body to painfully change as I feel them stretch and eventually…I couldn't hear anything. In fact, all sound was muted for an indefinite amount of time. I did hear, however, faint bangs because the scientists scrambled throughout the room searching for a solution to my problem only to knock many things on the floor. Even the faintest sounds were now received by my sensitive ears, but many others were still muted however. I saw that Giovanni was yelling inaudible messages at me as I kept yelling in pain. Eventually, my ears rested on top of my head with both of them having a coat of black fur at the tip of each one.

Then, all the pain in my spine from earlier had made a bump on my tail bone, I couldn't really see what was happening but I somehow knew that I was growing a tail rather quickly.

Finally, my nose painfully lengthens into a short muzzle. The last of my screams fade, but the feeling of vertigo begins to hit me. Finally free from the grasp of my restraints, I am small enough to disappear underneath my gown and make a run for the exit; however, I didn't think ahead and remember that I am now only about 1 foot tall as well as too dizzy to walk straight and as a result I fall down on the floor with a loud thud. I look up to see everyone's distorted face: they were speechless. Even Giovanni is at a loss for words, but his Persian growls at me and even starts to walk towards me in a threatening posture.

"Well…what are we going to do sir?" A scientist asks.

"Nothing." The Team Rocket boss responds.

"Sir?" Everyone said.

"I'm not about to spend another fortune just to find a solution for one expendable person, so we will act as if this had never happened; however, I expect you all to perfect that formula very soon or I will see that everyone of you will end up like him…a rodent!"

"Yes sir!" Like a chorus singing in one tune, they all acknowledged.

"Dr. Bartoli, he's all yours." Giovanni concludes as he staggers toward the exit with his Persian, obviously shocked by what he had just seen. The man from earlier brought in the tape, "Sir! The duct tape sir!"

Giovanni grabs the tape but then throws it at the young Team Rocket Grunt, "You're fired!"

Dr. Bartoli, a young woman in her thirties with straight brown hair hanging down from her neck, veers straight down at me with such a mischievous expression. Her fire-red eyes made me gulp instantly.

"You're going to be a useful Pikachu for our experiments."

"P…P…Pikachu?" I say very weakly. What really made me cry out in confusion was the fact that even though I fully understood what I had just said, it came out the same way but my voice was that of a Pikachu. The female scientist quickly grabbed and restrained me.

"Pika...Pi...chu!"

My weak muffled cries for help were hopelessly muted because of my new language, and what was worse was that I was now under the custody of the notorious Team Rocket.

I was taken into a room with cages on all sides. The room was disturbing to me because every single cage here has inside them Pikachu's. The cries and squeaks makes my dizziness much worse than what it already is. Strangely enough, in addition to the feeling of vertigo that I am experiencing, I can swear I heard voices nearby.

"Help me please!"

"Mom! Is that you...you're not mom!"

"Hey you! Don't eat their food! They put something that makes you go insane!"

Dr. Bartoli throws me inside a particularly small cage. I hit the metal wall with a tremendous force. Needless to say that it left a small bump on the wall as a reminder. The doctor laughed, "If only you could see yourself right now…oh! I know!"

She reaches into her pocket and takes out a small red plastic mirror and places it inside the cage, "This is so that you can get used to your new body and so I can identify you much easier…well, good night!" The scientist said rather enthusiastically as she walks out of the narrow room.

As I lay inside the cage with no way to get out, I gasp for air, "Please…don't leave me here," darkness begins to envelop my field of view once again.

"I should…have never…entered…the gym…"

I passed out.


	2. Doctor Bartoli

**Chapter two: Doctor Bartoli**

It is night. The darkness is only mere inches from a large building in the middle of a forest. The roof has large spot lights that continually turn clockwise and counterclockwise at 180 degrees, it keeps the darkness on the ground at bay. There are silhouettes of men walking left and right on the roof, carrying guns...or tranquilizers. Barbed-wire surround the walls that enclose this facility and several guard towers have the same spot lights like the roof. This is a prison. It's not a prison for humans, but rather Pokémon and despite the amount of light that this place gives off, no one knows it even exists because of the many scouts that patrol the area. It is also deep into the forest and there are countless nests filled with poisonous Beedrills, so it would be foolish for anybody to ever think of coming to a place like this. This area belongs to Team Rocket and it's a perfect place for them to hide from the authorities.

This prison is also a community, housing many Team Rocket members on the first floor and having several amenities for them. The second floor, which is inaccessible to most members, is where all the imprisoned Pokémon are kept: in cages or in Poke Balls. The larger ones are kept inside storage until otherwise used for experimentation. It is also where, if you were just there at the right moment, you can hear laughter down the long corridors of the facility in the middle of the night. The laughter belonged to this facility's most respected researcher and scientist.

Dr. Sarah Bartoli.

...

I close the door behind me with the greatest satisfaction. I love the feeling of torture, It always made me want to learn more about impulsive behavior, which is one of my fields of study. At least for Pokémon. After all, our goal here is to make them serve us and us only. Not only that, but Pokémon are meant to be destructive anyways.

Today I was given the opportunity I have been waiting to get. For years now it was always the same results, the same similar behavior in Pokémon; however, now that I have a 'human' Pokemon as a test subject, my days as a scientist just got interesting once again. All the possibilities that can come from this were limitless. A human mind inside a Pokémon's body. How would the human mind adapt to these subtle changes? Will he be able to learn moves just like any other Pokémon? Can he still 'think' like a human? So many questions flood my mind that I almost did not notice my boss coming down the steel corridor.

"Dr. Bartoli"

"Y...yes sir?" I press my heels together as I salute him.

"Is everything alright with you?" Mr. Giovanni asks me in an almost concerned voice. This makes me slightly raise an eyebrow at his question, "Yes, I'm a bit shaky with what just happened inside the test chamber, but I am alright..."

"Good. If you can find a way to fix this problem without causing mass hysteria inside the complex, it would be much appreciated."

"Sir? You mean you want me to change him back?" I ask. My hands tremble slightly at my unnecessary question.

"As a matter of fact, yes. It is possible that he is still a 'human'. Therefore, treat him like one unless you can prove to me that there is nothing human left in him."

I was at a loss for words, "You...saw what I did?" I muttered several words silently, "sneaky bastard."

Of course, I completely forgot about the surveillance camera inside the 'cage'. Needless to say that he did not look impressed. How could I have been so reckless! I can't let my guard down or I'll surely ruin years of commitment with this organization! Years of research that I single-handily brought that benefited Team Rocket will all become nothing more than ashes because of one barbaric act in front of my boss!

"Let's not give our guest any more pain and suffering. What he went through was painful enough. Continue with your research until then."

I sigh with relief, "I will do my best sir."

A rather strange mood shift in his part, but I didn't care as long as I wasn't in trouble.

"Good. And by the way, you did well today. Despite the mess that the formula made-"

"Sir if I may say, this test subject may be more powerful than any regular Pokémon out there. Give me time to study him before I attempt to change him back. Perhaps the effects of the formula worked as intended. At least to some extent," I blurt out without thinking.

"Perhaps, it's your job to find out. Goodnight...sis." He turns around and walks down the hallway with his Persian. They both eventually make a left turn toward the main lobby. I take a deep breath. I walk in the same direction until i eventually lay on the cold steel wall. Yes. Giovanni, the leader of the criminal organization Team Rocket, is my older brother. It's hard enough to think he's not my own flesh and blood when he's bossing me around like a hound dog. At least he and I are successful at what we do. He was always there for me when I was younger and he still is, but I feel as though he always pretends to not know me personally. I guess he's afraid that his grunts will laugh at him behind his back. I just wish he would treat me better publicly.

I hear footsteps behind me. I turn around to see two Team Rocket grunts: one is short and thin and the other tall and glamorous. Unlike other grunts, both have direct access with the second floor facility.

The short grunt looks young for his age and he insists on wearing his personal black hat whenever he is out on the field, much to my dismay. When he's not stationed at a Team Rocket outpost, he loves to wear that black/green jacket of his along with a camo-colored messenger bag. What makes him acceptable in this organization, however, is his rebel attitude and efficiency at stealing Pokémon from trainers. What surprised me the most about him was the day he showed us how much brute strength he has despite his frail appearance. At a Team Rocket vacation event, he showed us exactly what he could do. He chopped a large piece of wood with an axe with two swings. We gave him the honorary title of 'Two-Swing Jefferson'. When in uniform, he is referred to as 'Cy'.

The tall beautiful brunet towering above me has a similar story, but let's just say for now that she has a colorful personality.

"Cy, Km. Nice to see both of you. Did you happen to get any useful Pokémon?" I ask. Km walks toward me and carelessly throws a bag down by my feet. It fell on the metal floor with a loud bang. I pluck my lips together as i crouch to grab the brown bag, attempting to hide my sour expression.

"Thank you," I said in a noticeably annoyed voice, "You both are dismissed."

"Whatever," I hear the tall brunet say as she struts down the opposite side of the hallway, "If you need me, I'll be in my sleeping quarters."

Cy, on the other hand, walks toward me and helps to pick up the numerous Poke Balls that were now scattered around the floor.

"It was fun out there today, we were laughing at a couple of star-crossed lovers who desperately tried to get their Pokémon back from us."

I look up toward the twenty-year old Team Rocket grunt, "Do tell."

"Well, Nothing out of the ordinary considering Viridian Forest is notorious for the bugs. But I happened to steal this Pokémon from them. The rest you see here are just bugs of course and several flying rats."

My eyes widened slightly, "A Pikachu?"

"Not as rare as other Pokémon in more rewarding areas, but I guess everybody is itching for their own electric mouse these days. They're getting quite popular."

"We have enough Pikachu's as it is. How about you keep this one?"

He crosses his arms over his chest several times, "No, no, no. I need strong Pokémon. A Pikachu will only slow me down."

I sighed, "If you insist. I guess I'll take it to the cage." I stood up with the bag full of Poke Balls again, "You should have been here today during the experiment."

"Why so?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Because we got ourselves a 'special Pikachu', one that may as well make you reconsider your opinion about them."

He coughs slightly, "But I thought the experiment required a human-" Cy never finished his sentence.

The boy runs towards me, "Wait, wait. You mean to tell me, you turned someone into a Pokémon!?"

"An accident, but yes. Would you like to see him?"

Cy nods as I smile. I open the door that leads into the cage, but this time I tried not to get too worked up at torturing our 'guest'. As i brandish my most prized possession, Cy raises an eyebrow yet again, "How do I know you're not fucking with me?"

I chuckle as I took a clipboard from the Pikachu's cage and show him the data results.

Cy is silent.

"If you still don't believe me, we have footage of the experiment inside surveillance. Would you like to see it?"

"Yes. Right now."


	3. A strange Pikachu

**Thanks for all the support everyone. I am having a lot of fun writing this story and It'll only get better as time goes by. Stay tuned and enjoy!**

**Chapter three: A strange Pikachu**

It's the most claustrophobic place that anyone could ever be in. The space available is just about the width of a small compact car. Dozens of cages are evenly placed beside every wall and several unopened boxes rest adjacent to them. There's a white table in the middle of the room which has several papers neatly spread throughout the coffee-stained surface. A lamp that loosely swings like a pendulum on the ceiling is dim. Standing below the lamp are two humans: Dr. Bartoli and Team Rocket Grunt Cy.

"You're quite eager to see the video," Dr. Bartoli laughs as she took out the Poke ball containing the stolen Pikachu, "First things first."

She aims the red and white metallic ball toward my cage. She then presses a button that releases the imprisoned Pokémon, which then causes a flash of light to envelop the inside of the cage. In less than a few microseconds, a creature began to form next to me. I didn't know at the time of course because I was completely unconscious, but in my dreams, I could have sworn I heard a voice in panic.

The doctor quickly closes the cage door and locks it tightly, "Well then, shall we?" She moves the brown strands of hair away from her face as she checks the time on her digital watch, "We better hurry. It's way past curfew for you." She says in a rather cheerful voice.

"Give me a break." The boy next to her rolls his eyes.

Dr. Bartoli and the Team Rocket Grunt, Cy, walked toward the exit of the narrow corridor. She then turns off the lights.

Outside the 'cage', Dr. Baroli leads Cy down a long hallway toward surveillance, which is on the other side of the building.

"So why, why are you so excited to see the recording?" She asks.

"Isn't it obvious? I can't bring myself to believe it. That you guys actually turned someone into a Pokémon. I studied the equations, time and time again. Biology shouldn't allow a creature to somehow change from one species into another. It's a biotic paradox." He states.

Dr. Bartoli couldn't help but laugh, "The Rogue DNA Theory, hypothesized by yours truly, states that if a certain rogue DNA code were to interact with another DNA strand with a matching code, it would effectively cause subtle changes to the genetic structure of the subject. But in this case it shouldn't happen because Pokémon and human DNA are very different in terms of coding; however, it does!"

"You can bore anybody to sleep talking like that," he retorts.

"So here's my question to you, what exactly is Rogue DNA?" Dr. Bartoli asks.

"We don't know."

"Ding, ding, ding! Correct. Think of Rogue DNA as a sort of accelerator for the evolution process. Normally it takes a very long time for creatures to quote on quote 'evolve' but because Pokémon do it right away, this means that this specific DNA is somehow 'unlocked' during their evolutionary stages. Rogue DNA lies dormant inside every living Pokémon and it takes one special code to activate them."

As they enter the surveillance room, she heads over to the main computer and plays the recording to the part where I was unconscious before my transformation. The room was filled with eight scientists including Mr. Giovanni, his Persian and Dr. Bartoli herself. As he watches the low-quality video, Cy could see that she was holding a vial containing a dark liquid of some sort.

"So, I asked myself: what if a certain change in the code could actually cause humans to develop Pokémon moves, and if this was possible then it would also mean that humans are Pokémon too."

She focuses her sight on me waking up from my deep sleep and later finding the syringe that she was holding in her hand getting closer to me, "Of course, this most likely isn't true at all because well…this happened."

The video cuts to the part where she injected the dark fluid in my vein. The result was my transformation. Through the almost blurry image of me waving my arms around in pain, Cy sharpens his eye sight to where he begins to notice changes occurring. Cy feels ill as he sees more horrific imagery of my bones snapping and reshaping into a smaller form.

"So is this everything you hoped to see? Is this enough proof for you, Cy?"

"Now I believe you," Cy says almost silently as he examines my new Pikachu form in awe.

…

Where the hell am I!? Where is he! Where's Rigel!?

These thoughts kept me on my feet after I regained consciousness from my last battle. The last thing I remember was…my trainer calling for my name. His voice was raspy with pain as he tried to save me. I failed to listen to his warnings. I was too conceited to realize that I was weak enough to be overwhelmed easily. I was captured…no…stolen. I desperately try to find a way out, but everything is too dark.

How could I have been so naïve and stupid? I tried to be the hero, but now I'm probably very far away from the forest at this point.

I sniff the air a couple of times, and I've concluded that this place has many Pikachu's scattered around in it; where ever this 'place' was. Then my nose caught something else in the air: someone was a few steps next to me! Another Pikachu to be more precise!

"Hey! Wake up please!"

I sense no moment. I try to wake the Pikachu up by shoving him several times, "Please Wake up!"

Thankfully, it works. The mouse yawns silently.

"W…why is it so dark?" It asks in a weary voice. I immediately know that it's a male.

"I don't know, but we were all captured!" I explain.

"Hold on, who's…talking right now and…why do I feel so odd?"

I hear the Pikachu yelp in pain which causes me to jump in panic. Was there someone here attacking us? With enough strength, I channel electricity through my cheeks. It gives enough light for me to see him for a few seconds as I prepared for the worst. From what I can see, we were inside a cage and a small one at that. The good thing was that it was only the two of us. A false alarm.

"Ow! What was that!? Is…is that a…t…tail!?

I move my head sideways in confusion, "Are you okay?" I ask as the light fades back to darkness. I was too tired to use anymore electricity unfortunately, so it was back to relying on my sense of hearing and smell.

"I don't...think so..." He reply's.

"Help me find an exit, quick!" I demand, ignoring his reply almost completely.

"My…my ears! No! It couldn't have happened…I thought it was…a dream. The needle…the pain…then the cages…oh dear God no…"

I groan in annoyance, "What are you rambling on about? Do you want to get out of here? Yes or no?"

"Y…yes! Where are you? I can't see you." He quickly asks in a raspy voice.

I felt something the shape of a square and in the middle on the opposite side was some sort of hole: a key hole.

I sigh as I attempt to gather enough strength to create light from my cheeks once again, "Look in the direction of my voice because this is the last time I'm going to do this," I said.

"O…okay, I'm ready."

"Good," I was facing his direction also. My cheeks began to light up from the electrical discharge but it was in much less amounts this time; however, it was more than enough for him to at least see my face and for me to confirm my suspicions about our possible exit from this cage. I swear, the expression he had confused me even more,"W…where are you? I only saw a…" His voice was in denial. As if he knew it was a Pikachu talking to him but he refused to believe it.

"Wait no…you're a Pikachu!? He chokes out.

"Quit messing around and come here!" I yell.

"I really wasn't dreaming then. The pain was too real, I remember it now-"

"Fine! I'll get out of here without you!" I shout back in response. I attempt to break what I assume to be metal columns but it proves futile. I eventually get so tired that I decide to sit on the floor. It's too dark to see anything and worst of all: I had a crazy Pikachu next to me. Honestly, I shouldn't have said that. He spoke earlier about needles and pain, which makes me shiver from fear rather than the cold that was evenly spread out throughout this place. If I can remember, needles were these sharp objects that humans used on others for whatever purpose. Maybe...it drove this Pokémon insane.

"What did they do to you?" I manage to ask nervously.

He responds in the highest pitch he could ever produce, "They turned me into a Pikachu!"

Yup, this guy is definitely crazy. There was no way out and having a lunatic sitting beside you didn't help, but worst of all, he would not shut up.

"Oh no. If this is actually happening right now, how am I going to fix this? There has to be a way to fix this! Wait...maybe I'm…hallucinating…yea…maybe they gave me a large dosage of…something."

"Yea…no kidding," I say under my breath as I cover my ears. This mouse will drive me crazy before the night, or day, is over. I had to find a way out. My master is probably frantically searching for me inside the Viridian Forest. I can't imagine how desperate he is to find me. I can't imagine the tears falling from his face right this moment as I'm thinking about him. Like all of his Pokémon, he loved me like a brother and he would do anything to get me back. Which reminded me, where are the others: Butterfree, Charmeleon, and Mankey? Maybe they're with him right now. No. They're not because the last time I saw them was when two large shadows dressed in black stole them when they were inside their Poke balls. That's when I tried to save them, but I failed. I failed my friends and I failed my master. Now I'm here, but where was here? Was I Underground? Was I on a boat or maybe a plane? For all I knew, I was probably on the moon.

"I keep pinching myself and I won't wake up!"

"Are you quite finished, Pikachu!?" I shout with anger present in my voice.

"My name is Lucas and I'm not a Pikachu!"

"Weird name for a Pokémon, don't you think?" I retort.

"Screw you, Pikachu!"

"Hey! That's uncalled for. And my name is Orion, not Pikachu," I shouted back at him in a louder tone.

"Weird name for a Pokemon-"

"Just shut up already!?" I demand.

Eventually, It does get quiet and I decide to rest for now because there's nothing much I can do at the moment. The good news is that I knew exactly where my master lived: the suburbs of Viridian city. I just needed to know which direction to take. I know that humans post signs all over the place that tell you where you are and where to go, but there's one slight problem.

I can't read.


	4. The pen is mightier than the Poké Ball

**Hello! Concerning recent chapters, they have all been updated. Changes vary from slight grammar errors to minor editing in the story progression. Keep in mind that these changes are to benefit the story and may require you to reread the previous chapters for a second time. Once again, I thank all of the readers who like reading my story. Stay tuned and enjoy!**

**Chapter four: ****The pen is mightier than the Poké Ball**

The sun rises from behind a vast valley known as the Kanto Mountain Range. Near the middle of this brown-colored valley lies a prison where most of its inmates are unaware that the day has even started. Inside this heavily fortified detention center, on the second floor, most of the rooms do not have windows. Thus, the prisoners don't know if its day or night because they are under custody; kept inside the same rooms ever since they have been incarcerated. Many have simply lost track of time. Worst of all, most will never see the sun rise again. I am one of those prisoners. My name is Lucas Bright and unfortunately I am having a period of mental instability.

I couldn't go back to sleep after I woke up in the dark, so I kept myself busy by restlessly checking my entire body for signs of normality every few minutes. Even if I was on any drugs, most of the effects had to have surely worn out by now, but here I was in the dark, yanking my imaginary tail and ears in self doubt. I hear a yawn next to me, which then shifts into shallow breaths, "Where…where am I!? Oh…I'm still here…I thought last night was a dream. Then that means…"

"Are you okay?" I ask the voice, or rather the Pikachu. He had a name, but I was too focused on myself to really remember what it was, "Yea…I guess so. Are you still going crazy about how you're not a Pikachu?" He retorts.

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Look, I personally don't have anything against you, but I'm not going to stay here long enough to go insane like you have."

"Now you listen here, I am not crazy. What am I saying? I'm talking to a Pikachu. Maybe you're right, I am crazy." I rub my cold nose.

"You're worse than I thought." He sighs deeply, "So, how long have you been locked up in this place: a week, a month, a year? Your whole life?" he asks.

"I don't know. I think I've been in here for a day at least."

"If…if it only takes one measly day to crack your mind, I need to get out of here!" He starts shouting frantically, "Someone! Anyone! Let me out!"

"Someone please wake me up…" I say silently.

Then, as if on cue, the door opens and bright light fills the room. A dark shadow walks in and flips a switch. The lamp springs back to life, giving us enough light to see everything inside the room again. It's that woman, Bartoli I think her name is, and she's carrying several paperwork which she sets on the table. Thanks to the lamp, I am now able to see this Pikachu with perfect detail for the first time: he looks the same as any other Pikachu but he's quite short. In fact, he looks much shorter than I am, yet his voice is that of a full-grown human adult. He is jumping all over the place, trying to find a way out. He tackles the metal bars several times but finds the method to be pointless because the metal is extremely robust.

She turns to me and asks, "Is your new friend keeping you company?"

She then takes several supplies out of her bag: pens, pencils, and wite-out. They're just your average office supplies. She murmurs to herself, "Thank goodness you have different eye color compared to the other Pikachu's or I would never be able to distinguish you from him. Now let's see, today the experiments will go in alphabetical order." She says to herself, but I am able to pick up what she is saying thanks to my ears.

I raise an eyebrow as I remember she had put a mirror inside the cage previously. I look behind me to find the large red plastic mirror sitting at the other end of the cage. My heart sinks as I examine myself: much like an ordinary Pikachu I almost have the same exact features like one. My ears are long and pointy with a black coat of fur resting at the top of each one. I have red cheeks that seem to glow faintly every once in a while. I see a triangular-shaped black nose, which is showing signs of irritation. Small stubby paws exist from where my long human fingers used to be, which means I won't be able to grasp anything that requires careful dexterity for now. I turn around and I see two lines of brown fur on my back. I also see a lightning-bolt shaped tail that moves freely without my permission. I try to control it but it's no use. The good news here is that my human eyes, which are light-brown, were spared from the transformation; however, because I've been awake for many hours there are dark bags under my eyes.

I stare at my reflection for what seems like an eternity. I just can't stop looking because no matter how much doubt I might have for my condition, I've realized that this is real. The pain from the transformation was just too genuine to be a nightmare. Every feeling that I am experiencing from my new body reacts in such a convincing way. This realization sinks in; now that I've been awake for so many hours from feeling odd. The more time I am awake the more real everything gets and as the reality sets in, the more depressed I become. Imagine, waking up as something you're not and having to come to terms with it.

I barely feel the touch of paws on my left shoulder. I turn around: I look down to see the other smaller Pikachu looking at me.

"Please, forget about yourself for a minute and help me get out of here because she's going to start messing with us soon!"

"Please, just leave me alone…" I say softly.

"For goodness sake, she's coming for us next!"

"I said leave me alone!"

He slaps me in the face, which actually causes me to stagger back a few inches, "I'm getting tired of your games!" He shouts, but it's too late because Dr. Bartoli opens the cage and grabs the Pokémon with force. She's wearing rubber gloves and struggles to use a Poké Ball on him. The Pikachu's eyes widen as he attempts to break free. He tries to shock her, but it doesn't work, "Please! Help me! Do something before it's too late!"

I turn my head sideways, "You slapped me," This makes the mouse cry out in frustration, "You're hopeless! You're the worst Pikachu I've ever met. I hope you-"

It's too late. He transforms into red energy that goes inside the ball as his cries become a quickly fading echo. Dr. Bartoli puts a sticky note on the Poké Ball and then writes 'Cage D' on it. She closes my cage afterwards. Then, the doctor takes the ball and several others with her outside.

I am by myself again. I turn back toward the mirror and I sigh softly. Not only am I a Pikachu but I look just like one albeit my notable light-brown eyes; however, they show no evidence that I was ever human in the first place, which depresses me even more. No one is going to recognize me and what's worse, from what I can remember back at the laboratory, is that no one can understand me except…oh. It appears the only person I've actually talked to in this place is Orion. Thank goodness I remember his name, but he's probably never coming back again anyway. I slump down on the floor and my ears droop. Orion was right, I am hopeless. I have no hope as to fix this without a connection to somebody important; in this case, Dr. Bartoli or Orion himself. Perhaps I can try to convince her that she has to change me back. If a needle can turn me into a Pikachu, it can surely turn me back into a human.

And then I wonder: why did I hear the word 'Pikachu' as I spoke several times before the doctor brought me here? Was my mind still undergoing changes? Maybe my brain was learning Pokémon language or something. Either way I decide to wait until she returns. In the meantime, I stand up to see a blue-colored pen along with some unwritten paper on the table that she left behind. An idea forms in my head: If I can't speak to Bartoli, I'll write what I have to say to her instead.

…

Eventually, she does come back, but the only thing she is carrying on her is more paperwork. I swallow nervously as she opens my cage and grabs me. I try to point to the pen and paper but she instead takes out a Poké Ball from her bag. I panic at this point, so I start making noises to her in synch with my hand movements. She looks toward the table and then back at me. Her face is cheerful.

"Well, well, well! You can do my job for me any day. Unfortunately, we have some testing to do."

I close my eyes. In a few moments I'll know how it feels like to be forced into a tiny metal ball and kept inside indefinitely. Instead of hearing the familiar sound of a Poké Ball and feeling my body dissipate into pure energy, she puts me on the table and moves the office supplies toward me.

"Show me what you can do. Write out your human name." She orders to me.

I nod slightly as I struggle to hold the notably large pen. As a human this should have been a breeze, but as a 1'4 foot tall mouse with hardly any experience with its hands it was difficult. I barely manage to spell my name, and it looks like a 1st grader's handwriting. The doctor/researcher grabs the paper from me and laughs, "Lucas? I guess you are still human inside. This is wonderful!"

She sets the paper down near me as she ponders what to do next. I decide to write something else. I then call for her to look. Once again she takes the paper, "No Poké Ball?"

She turns toward me and grins willingly, "Okay, but only if you do what I say," After I nod to her, I smile for the first time since I can remember. She presses her hands on her cheeks, "Oh my goodness, you're so adorable when you smile!"

She then puts the Poké Ball and other things away inside her bag and grabs me softly, "If you're a good Pikachu, then I promise we will be best friends."

This is exactly what I wanted from her. Now I hope I can convince her to change me back as soon as I've gained enough trust from her. Hopefully I'm not wrong about this.

"And if you're wondering if I'll ever change you back into a human Lucas, then the answer is no. I'll make you part of my team instead."

My ears perk up at this statement, "What!?"

She then takes me outside the room into the blinding light of the hallway and then she closes the door tightly.


	5. Surprise battle at Viridian City!

**Hello again! There is a lot of action in this chapter I promise! I know you guys will find it to be great.**

**Chapter five: Surprise battle at Viridian City!**

I feel rays of sunlight hit my face as it starts to get hot. This causes me to turn away on my uncomfortable bed and cover myself with the torn blankets; however, somebody begins to shake me relentlessly. I open my eyes and see a girl standing next to the bed, it's Km. This morning her long brunet hair is in a short but beautiful crown-braid. She adds character to it by putting several small white flowers on each side. She smiles, "Rise and shine handsome, we got work to do."

I groan, "Somebody's feeling better today," I mutter as she grabs the blankets and throws it onto the floor, "I was in a bad mood yesterday. I feel a lot better, now come on!" She jumps frantically like a spoiled child.

"You're always in a bad mood…" I retort. I get out of bed and put on my black shirt.

"Today we're going to Viridian City,"

I frown, "Is this another delivery job?" I cross my arms, "Let me guess, dirty laundry?"

She copies my pose, "Afraid to get your hands dirty?" I laugh, "If they're clean then yes."

"Boss doesn't want us going to Viridian with colors, so we go wearing our casuals."

"That's fine with me. I've been itching to wear my gear again anyways." I say. I grab my gym bag, which always stays here at the base, and I take out my jeans, brown boots and belt with 3 Poké balls. I walk to a mirror by the door. I change into my jeans, clip on my belt, and strap on my boots. Hanging on a clothes rack is my black/green jacket, and the great thing about this particular wardrobe is that it's extremely durable. It has survived countless encounters with the natural elements, yet it refuses to tear apart. Two years. Two years I've counted so far in which I have had close calls with this jacket. Two years of being a part of Team Rocket. I put on my jacket and I yawn afterwards.

I stretch my arms and crack my knuckles as I see my reflection, I forgot something. Sitting on my nightstand is my black military hat that I take and place effortlessly on my head. My gear shimmers as the rays of sunlight coming from the window hits me.

"Are you also bringing your guitar?" Km asks. I nod, "Yea, we could mess around a bit after our work is done."

"Good. I'll wait in the jeep, don't take too long or I'll leave you behind." She kisses me in the cheek and my face turns red, "See you there." I choke nervously.

She winks at me as she leaves the room, and I go ahead and grab my guitar. I decide to tune it to drop D. Afterwards I adjust the strap and then sling it on my back carefully. The last thing to do is to get my messenger bag on the clothes rack. The bag itself is completely empty for obvious reasons because I only keep necessary things like cans of food and water inside it. As for the guitar, which weights about a good 20 pounds, I'll keep inside the jeep during the mission. This way, I'm fast on my toes in case something goes wrong.

After I'm done getting everything I need I leave the room.

…

The drive to Viridian City takes about two hours. Km and I decide to stop at the nearest gas station to get snacks, water and fuel before we get there. Afterwards, we continue to drive down a long dirt road for another thirty minutes. Finally, we reach the city. Needless to say that it's already midday and the traffic is cranky. The Viridian Gym is in sight and we park adjacent to it. The guards automatically recognize us as members and let us through the tall golden doors. I do the talking as we meet up with Giovanni's representative. He is wearing a suit like always and his hair is showing signs of aging. I exchange a bag full of Poké balls. Inside them are very strong Pokémon. They have been tested and shown to be effective in combat thanks to Dr. Bartoli, and now they will be processed here to be sold or traded.

"Take this as a reward, both of you." He says. Km and I receive our daily payments and we smile contently, "Let's go shopping!" Km jumps for joy. I put an arm behind my back in embarrassment, "Sure. We got time."

"Have fun you two." The old man grins.

…

Several hours pass and Km has spent almost all of her money on new merchandise. I don't mind, a woman needs her daily shopping spree or else she'll surely go mad. We leave the parking lot and store everything we bought today in the back of the jeep. In order to get out of the city faster we take a street that leads through the suburbs,"So, do you think the trip to get here was worth it?" She turns toward me and giggles, "The three hour drive to get here is always worth it." I chuckle.

I continue to drive down the street until we once again stop at a traffic light, "I'm kind of hungry, want to get some ice cream before we get on the open road?" I ask.

"Sounds good, let's go."

We stop by a local ice cream joint and we decide to order inside. It has a 1950s décor style to it with numerous chairs that are adjacent to the bar. We sit down by the bar and look at the menu. The employees and customers look at us suspiciously and I start to get anxious. Km seems fine however. She's completely oblivious of the fact that almost everybody is giving us odd stares. Unfortunately, I narrow my eyes at one of them, "You got a problem?"

"You two look familiar…"

"In what way, I didn't know we were famous around these parts!" Km cheerfully exclaims.

Then my heart stops because I immediately see a wanted poster hanging by the restroom area. Not just any wanted poster because it has our exact faces copied in paper. It looks like the city finally caught on to us, "Km…we should leave, now."

I hear a voice cry out in the crowd, "I can't believe what I'm seeing right now! Those two are the ones who stole my Pokémon!"

"And mine as well!"

"Me too!"

"Let's get them!"

"Someone stop them before they try to escape!"

With our cover blown, Km and I nod at each other as I reach into my pocket and throw a metallic ball on the floor. It explodes into white gas as it spreads quickly across the entire store. We make a run for it toward the jeep; however, by the time we get to the door, we hear a Poké ball scream as white light appears and blocks our only exit.

"Ekans, come out!" A man shouts.

"I'm not jumping out the window." Km says. I remove a Poké ball from my belt, "Then let's give them a show they'll soon never forget."

"Ekans, use Wrap!"

I click on a small metallic button which causes the ball to grow in size. I then throw it towards the door.

"Diglett, dig under the earth!" I command. Just like the man has done, my ball sends forth a bright light which turns into a brown creature. It buries beneath the store to safety. The Ekans fails to use its move on my Pokémon and just as I wanted Diglett suddenly bursts from underground and hits the snake with powerful force. It's enough to bring it to low health.

"Oh man, Ekans return!" I see a red laser touch the creature causing it to disappear into the smoke once again. Attempting to apprehend us, several people without Pokémon surround our every direction. Km grins mischievously as she too throws a metallic ball into the air, "Pidgeotto, whirlwind!"

Pidgeotto, a bird Pokémon, begins to flap its wings which then create powerful gale-force winds. This gives us the opportunity to leave the store in haste. All four of us are now outside while Km's flying rat keeps on using its move until…

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" I suddenly hear.

"Piiikkkaaaccchhhuuu!"

It's too late because Km's flying type is rendered unconscious by the surprised attack. Her face is swollen with rage.

Across from us stands one young trainer: he's wearing a blue/white jacket, jeans, green fingerless gloves and a white/red hat that has a green semi-triangle sign in the middle. He is almost as tall as I am which makes me wish I had ancestors who were tall because this boy looks at least ten years old. Standing alongside him, of course, is a Pikachu…what a surprise. Km calls back her fainted Pokémon in frustration.

"That was my Pidgeotto you hit punk!"

"You deserve it. You're a crook!" The boy shouts back.

Km narrows her eyes, "And just who do you think you are, chump?"

"I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and you chose the wrong place to steal Pokémon!" The trainer proudly explains. He is cocky and every sense of the word, but just in case, I get ready to use Diglett against his Electric-type.

"We were just going to have ice cream you brat!" She retorts, "Stupid kid, why don't you go play hopscotch with your puny Pikachu."

"Let's just steal his Pokémon, I bet he'll beg for us to give them back like all the others have." I suggest, "Then he's going to cry like a baby!"

The trainer curls his hands into a fist with irritation, "You're quick to judge people by their looks, why don't we settle this with a real battle?"

"I'm going to send your Pikachu to the Pokémon center in a million pieces!" Km laughs with both amusement and anger.

I cross my arms, "Want me to do the honors?" I ask.

"No, he's mine." She removes the crown-braid hairstyle as her long natural hair falls down her shoulders. She then grabs a ball from her belt.

"Go ahead then. His Pikachu won't be able to do much against your Ground-type." I yawn as I sit down on the concrete floor next to my Diglett.

Ever since Km and I formed a duo, we are unstoppable. For two years we have successfully defeated all opposition. It has actually become a weekly routine and sometimes a daily activity for us: wake up, crush Pokémon Trainers, and steal their Pokémon. This is why we were so successful amongst our peers and especially in the eyes of certain high-ranking officials. Who was to say that we would be defeated by a ten year old boy, who has barely grasped the concept of Pokémon battles? If this kid, this…child…thinks he can beat us then he's wrong.

The crowd from inside the store watches silently as Km throws the Poké ball toward the trainer, "Rip him apart Sandslash!" and out comes a creature with beige-colored scales. It is a pholidote Pokémon with sharp brown spikes protruding from its back. Its claws are sharp and they glimmer in the sunlight. Sandslash suddenly jumps toward the boy with incredible speed as it gets ready to use Slash.

"You got this Km." I yawn again.

"I know," She responds.

The trainer's yellow mouse seems ready to respond without hesitation, "Pikachu…agility!" Ash commands his Pikachu. It nods in agreement as it also reaches unbelievable speeds. By now, both Pokémon near point of collision; however, just as Sandslash strikes, Pikachu sidesteps easily to avoid the attack, "Pikachu, Quick-attack!"

Much to my surprise, it manages to overwhelm Km's Ground-type as it takes considerable damage. I start to get nervous again as I see the look on Km's face: pure disbelief. _Damn it, I should have kept my mouth shut_, I think.

"Sandslash! What are you doing! Tear it to pieces!" She yells. Once again, it tries to damage its enemy but only manages to miss by a few inches as the Electric-type dodges with great speed. Once more, the Pikachu uses the same strategy which results in Sandslash fainting. Km calls him back quickly, "Darn him! I'll show him!"

"No, let me. You only have one Pokémon left, you're going to need it for emergencies," I stand up and wipe sweat from my forehead, "You're good kid. We've underestimated you, but that doesn't mean you're going to win this fight." I slap myself mentally: _shut up! You're only encouraging him!_

"Is that a promise?" He smiles which makes me narrow my eyes in silent frustration.

I point my finger towards his Pikachu, "Diglett go…use scratch!"

As instructed Diglett uses its attack and it actually hits Pikachu. Thankfully it does considerable damage, but Ash's Pokémon also hits mine with reasonable force. This catches me off guard: _Damn, his Pikachu is at a much higher level than my Diglett. Dig has to work or else..._

"Hang on Pikachu! Use quick-attack one more time!" He shouts as the mouse gains speed once again. Just before it's ready to strike I shout, "Use dig!"

Diglett vanishes as Pikachu's attack misses completely. It checks the ground with confusion. It then looks towards its master for advice.

"Pikachu use agility again!"

"Pika!" It responds.

Km shouts from behind me with anxiety, "Don't let that punk beat you!"

"He's not going to win I assure you!" I retort. Sweat is falling from my temples. My hands are shaking and my breathing is shallow.

"Stay on your toes Pikachu! He could be anywhere!" Ash is also experiencing extreme anxiety just like me.

Suddenly, everyone standing in the parking lot feels the earth shake beneath us.

"Too late! Your Pikachu is history!" I laugh just before Diglett emerges from under the electric mouse.

"Jump Pikachu!"

Unfortunately, my hope of winning suddenly dies as my face darkens. The Pikachu dodges the surprise attack and quickly responds by using its tail, or rather the move Slam, which hits Diglett with such powerful force. It causes my Pokémon to utterly faint in defeat.

"I don't believe it!" I shout.

Suddenly, Km and I hear police sirens in the distance which causes Km to scramble towards the jeep. I call back my Pokémon as I give one last glimpse at the Pokémon Trainer who had apparently defeated us, "Sorry to end this party so suddenly, but this is where we get off!"

I run toward the jeep that is already making a 360 degree turn toward the street. He tries to stop me from escaping but I manage to jump into the jeep in time, "Go!" I shout. Km does not hesitate. With the sharpest turn we get on the road that leads to the base again. The last thing I see is the trainer holding his Pikachu with concern.

Unfortunately, by the time we do get on the road back to base several police cars have already begun to tailgate us. The narrow dirt road means that they could ram us from both sides very easily which is what they intend to do. I have one more smoke bomb on me, so I have to make it count. Our jeep, which had a soft removable roof before we left to Viridian, keeps rocking back and forth uncontrollably as a result of the uneven pavement. Because of this, I have to time this very carefully in order for it to work. I position myself in the back of the jeep. First I check to see which police car is closer and then I throw the metallic bomb into the air. It explodes and causes one of the jeeps to swerve off-course toward a tree while the other one slows down to avoid collision. Since I'm out of bombs and there are still three police cars just a few hundred feet from us, I decide to use my next Pokémon: Fearow, another bird Pokémon. I throw the Poké ball into the air, "Use Razor Wind on their tires!" I demand.

As expected, it flaps its wings which cause several bright crescent-shaped blades to penetrate the rubber tires on one of the police cars. The result is all of them losing control and colliding with each other. Behind me I hear screams, Beedrills are attacking Km! We must have disturbed a nest nearby! I quickly turn toward Fearow, "Get them off her!" It flies toward the bugs and pecks them all into remission. They flee back to their nest with injuries. I move toward the front of the jeep to inspect Km, "You okay?" I ask.

"Yes, make sure we're alone!"

I nod slightly for a second before I hear the sounds of a rotor getting increasingly louder as the jeep turns toward a section of the Viridian forest where a large field that stretches for fifteen miles is present. Now in the open, I turn to see a police helicopter gaining on us! A man appears from the side of the vehicle with a bull horn. He is desperately trying to stay in the aircraft because it's making sharp maneuvers toward us, "Stop your vehicle or we will open fire!"

Fearow is still following us at great speeds and looks at me. It's expecting me to retaliate, "Don't kill them. Just make them have to land." I say. The bird nods and flies toward the cops. It uses Razor Wind again but it aims toward the helicopter's tail rotor. The damage is significant but it's also not critical. As long as the fuel box remains intact the helicopter will not explode, "Damn it! Fall back. the officer yells" It steadily makes a descent toward the ground as smoke seeps from the tail. Just as it lands, everybody runs for safety.

We're safe now. I call back Fearow and sigh heavily. For about five minutes we enter a large section of the forest again, but Km parks to the side of the road which confuses me because we still have two more hours of land to stretch and it's getting dark. She struggles to get out. I jump from the jeep and run toward her door, "You okay?"

"I've…been poisoned."


	6. Pika-Partners

**Chapter six: Pika-Partners**

When I was turned into a Pikachu yesterday I thought it was the worst day of my life. Nope. That was far from a bad day because I was taken from the cage and examined for many hours. Was it just your typical needle under your skin ordeal? Yes, but it also included Dr. Bartoli putting me in a big transparent rectangular-shaped machine that did everything from setting me on fire to almost crushing my small body. The cruel thing about this big hunk of steel is that it was able to recreate all the moves of Pokémon though a large tube that was connected inside. In other words, she was using it to test my strength as a Pokémon. At least she kept giving me potions to keep me from fainting…how kind of her.

From what I've heard from her self-indulgent conversations is that the formula was some sort of enhancer. Not only was it supposed to give humans the ability to use Pokémon moves but it should've given me twice the power. According to Bartoli's notes word for word after reading loudly to herself, "Log 001: First day of testing. _Subject C, a low level Pikachu, has received fewer punishments from the machine than subject B, a medium-high level Pikachu; however, this may be just an anomaly, so I will try the experiment again for several times in a period of a few days to see if the formula is truly effective as an enhancer for Pokémon."_

Subject B was Orion and by the looks of things he wasn't exactly the toughest Pikachu around. In fact, the doctor had to take him out of the torture device after results showed that he couldn't take anymore of the pain. Well I can't take anymore of the pain either. It's only the second day and, Orion may be right about this, I might go crazy by tomorrow! I tried to escape a few times but the fact that the doors were locked and I wasn't exactly used to walking on four feet let alone on two feet I had no options left to me. Orion certainly tried to escape also, but it only caused several metallic tentacles from the ceiling to grab him by force and render him unconscious. I guess Bartoli didn't bother to use them on me because of my clumsy walking.

At the end of the day every test subject, which included all of the Pikachu's taken from their cages, are returned to their cells including us. Dr. Bartoli leaves the room to bring more of the Pikachu's she took earlier today. Feeling pity for Orion, I felt the need to make sure he was all right. I should've helped him this morning but then again I couldn't have done much anyways. After all, I don't know how to use Pokémon moves let alone walk without falling flat on the metallic floors. I sat next to him as I waited a while for him to wake up. When he did all I could say was, "Are you okay." He rubs the back of his head in pain, "Yes…are you?"

This took me back. He wasn't mad at me for not helping him earlier? All of a sudden he was alright with me? "I'm so sorry. I didn't help you escape." I choke out.

"No. Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should be sorry for slapping you. Besides, I think we both know who the real enemy is."

"I understand if Bartoli wants to use me as a lab rat, but she plans to use you again. I'm worried that tomorrow will be ten times worse for the both of us and you're not exactly eligible to take anymore pain" I say.

His expression darkens, "True, but escape from this place seems impossible for the moment. I've tried all I could to run away. Now I'm just a tool used for horrible experiments, same as you."

"We shouldn't take our frustrations on each other. Besides, I'm trying to find out which key she uses to open the doors-"

"I agree, we shouldn't argue-" He cocks his head sideways with a puzzled expression, "Wait, how do you plan on getting the key?"

"She uses a key card. In the middle there is a large bold number that reads '7' and I think that's the key she uses to go out into the hallway. Forget it, the card reader is too high for us to reach anyways."

His face becomes even more lost as he tries to form words from his mouth.

"You…you can read?" He asks.

I also give him a baffled look, "Of course. What…you can't read?"

He shakes his head several times.

"Many Pokémon never learn to read human handwriting. It's pointless because our trainers do it for us. What we do know is that we can understand what they're saying…why am I telling you this? You're a Pokémon too."

Almost ignoring his last statement I carefully stand up to walk toward the front of the cage albeit with some struggle. He follows me, "I'm a human." I say.

He plucks his lips together attempting to prevent himself from making any hostile comments he may have for me.

"Look I understand if you don't believe me, but I was taught how to read as a human...in human school. Okay?" He looks away, "Alright," I can tell he wasn't going to believe it but at least he was calm about it.

I look to my left to see a clipboard with a pen that is hanging near the cage and it is thick enough to go through the metal bars. I decide to try and reach for it, but my tiny arms and my short height were in the way. I look toward Orion, "Could you please help me with this?" He nods, "Sure."

He jumps on my shoulders and tries to grab the clipboard.

_RRRIIIPPP!_

It ends up falling to the floor outside of the cage and causes us to lose balance. We both hit the metallic floor with a thud. I sigh softly.

"Darn, I almost had it too!" Orion said.

"I could have showed you how write your name." I say disappointed.

"Oh Really?" He smiles as he brandishes a large metallic pen and a small piece of torn paper in front of my face. My heart beats with joy as I rudely grab them from him, "H…how?" I ask.

"Our cheeks are magnetic remember? As for the paper I guess it was a good idea to grab that instead." He says.

"Alright!" I sit down with the pen and paper and he stands next to me, "I'm going to spell your name, so I want you to pay close attention Orion."

"Okay mom." He jokingly says.

I carefully draw an 'O', but it appears to be quite ugly in appearance because of my stubby fingers and the large pen that would normally be small if I were human. Eventually I draw the other letters in a way that legendary artist Picasso would spit on them if he had the chance and that's really saying something.

'_ORION'_

The Pikachu next to me looks in awe as he recognizes the familiar letters, "My…my trainer arranged those same letters on my first birthday cake for me. Of course they were much…"

"Cleaner?" I respond. He nods, "If you say it that way."

He picks up the paper and smiles for several moments, "This is amazing! I can't believe you know how to write human letters! It's really good!"

A gasp escapes his throat as he shakes me several times, "Do…do you know how to read and write _Viridian City_? Please say yes!" He asks.

"Yes I do," I go ahead and begin writing '_Viridian City_' on the piece of paper and he's desperately trying to keep up with my handwriting. Once again I manage to barely spell out '_VIRIDIAN CITY'._

He moves his head sideways again in confusion, "How do I know that's it?"

I sigh, "Okay first things first. This isn't the universal human language. It's the language we call English, you see the first letter: V, the curved symbol? Well you pronounce _it _as Vee."

He puts his finger on the first letter and says it correctly, "Good, now that you know the letter _V_ we go into _i. _This one is a vowel."

"A…what?"

Unfortunately, it's not easy as it sounds for him because learning a new language isn't always easy; however, he did get the first one right so far. I guess that's a start.

A door opens and we both jump in surprise as Dr. Bartoli comes into the room with Poké balls in her hand. She releases some Pikachu's inside their cages and then almost trips on the clipboard. She looks down with a bewildered face as if it came out of nowhere, so she picks it up. I desperately try to get her attention, but it doesn't work. She walks back to the door and flips the switch, "Goodnight," She giggles softly as she turns off the lights and then shuts the door tightly. Now we can't see anything which pretty much hinders any attempt to teach Orion anything for the rest of the day. We both sigh in defeat.

"I can't light up the place that well because I'm too weak, how about you?"

"I…can't. I don't know how."

"What do you mean…right…you're _Human_," the mouse says.

I sit down once again in the darkness and I hear Orion do the same afterwards. I think to myself for a few minutes and then say, "So, you spoke earlier about your trainer…how is he like? He must be worried sick about you,"

"I have no doubt he is worried about me. There are few humans I know that truly care about their Pokémon."

"Do tell." I say.

"My mother gave birth to me in an alleyway and then I was sold to him afterwards. At first I didn't trust him of course and I even tried to run back to the alley on the first day, but I realized that he actually let me go back on my own. Obviously, he followed behind closely but I never found my mother again, so I stayed with him. As the weeks went by he cared for me as if I was his own little brother. Even when I shocked him a few times as a Pichu he didn't hurt me or neglect me. He truly cared and he actually felt sorry that he took me away from my mother. That was three years ago and we've been close brothers ever since." Orion sighs deeply, "He's probably out there somewhere, with no Pokémon to help him, looking for me now as we speak. It also explains why I was paranoid last night and why i'm still desperate to leave this place."

I couldn't help but feel sorry, "What's his name?"

I could hear him crying softly in the distance as he barely managed to speak to me, "Rigel."

"Sounds like a cool name. Rigel must know that you're doing alright."

"I'm not doing alright! I'm stuck in a cage and I'm being used as an experiment! The worst part of it is that I may be stuck here for the rest of my life, or if I'm lucky dead within a few days. Rigel will be looking for me for a long time and never realize that he'll never see me again!"

"Don't ever say those things because if you say that then it will happen, but it won't. We'll try to find a way out of here. I promise."

"We?" he asks softly.

"We have to work as a team or at least be partners. Like we agreed earlier, we can't be fighting each other."

"You're right…besides, we're both Pikachu's, so two ThunderShocks can do serious damage to that Doctor if we're lucky."

"Only problem is…"

"Yes about that, since you're teaching me how to read and write I'll teach you some useful Pokémon moves."

"R…really?" I say softly.

"It's the least I can do. You're not a bad Pikachu after all. Now having a mean Pokémon would have been worse than you saying you're a human all night." He lights up the place with his cheeks slightly so he can walk towards me and sit down, "Every time we're put in here you can teach me more about human language and after the lights go out I can teach you Pokemon moves."

"This is great. I think this can actually work Orion."

"No problem…hey I know we already introduced each other yesterday night, but I feel as though we should do it again."

"Okay, I'm Lucas nice to meet you," I laugh as I extend my hand toward him.

"Orion, pleasure to meet you Lucas...I still think it's a weird name for a Pokémon," He laughs along with me as we shake hands in the barely visible light that his cheeks are giving off from.

I guess that's one problem solved, but how exactly does one escape a maximum security prison for Pokémon? I guess we'll need spoons…lots and lots of spoons.


	7. Outpost 3C 273

**Hey guys! I just want to give out a friendly warning for this chapter. It contains adult themes of death and acceptance. You have been warned. Enjoy the next chapter if you choose to read anyways! **

**Chapter seven: Outpost 3C 273 **

The sun is barely visible in the horizon. As the last rays of sunlight touches the forest, leaves in some places are giving off a mixture of shiny orange color and dark shadows on others. Normally I would take time to appreciate the beauty in this environment; however, this wasn't a good sign because it meant pitch-black darkness will soon come.

In times like these, if Team Rocket members were to find themselves far away from their home base after dusk then they are to report to the nearest outpost for shelter and evaluation until morning. In our case, me and Km, there was no way we could return to base, and another problem was that we are being pursued by the authorities from behind. I am also reminded of Km's condition: Beedrills attacked her.

She was stung three times: one behind her neck, one on her right arm, and one near her forehead. She has massive swelling around her throat, which has me worried. I take out a survival knife from my leg sheath that I always have on me as I carefully scrape the large stingers off gently. I look toward Km, she's barely awake. We have three water bottles and several napkins stored in the jeep, so I go ahead and grab one of each. She tries to get my attention as I pour water on the affected areas which I then clean with the napkin. We don't have medicine which means that Km is in big trouble. I close my eyes as I rub my temples in frustration.

Should I head back to base? We would never make it. Km would die before we even get to the first ten miles.

Should I return to Viridian City and get her to a hospital? The authorities would catch us. They will also waste time processing us before they get a chance to call an ambulance.

Should I call Dr. Bartoli and ask for the nearest Outpost to help us?

The third option sounds ridiculous while I strongly advise to myself that the second was the best one, but I've heard of the zero toleration policies that the Kanto region has on Team Rocket. Yes, the police will help us out but in the end we will spend a large amount of time behind bars. Perhaps less than 10 years if we're lucky.

So, I made what could have been the stupidest decision of my life, I turn on my phone and call the only person who could possibly help me from Team Rocket. It takes three attempts but I manage to get a voice on the other line, "Hello? And to whom am I speaking to?"

"Dr Bartoli! Km has been poisoned by Beedrills! Please send help from Viridian City quickly!" I yell into the device, "We're about ten minutes from the city. I'll give you my location!" I press a button which causes a map to show up on the screen.

_Beep_…_Beep_…_Beep_…

"_Listen Ansel," _I bring myself closer toward the speaker, "_If she has difficulty breathing: loosen any type of tight clothing she may have on her. Then, perform CPR if necessary. I'll get a squad to show up in a helicopter to help take you to Outpost 3C 273 near Viridian City. Get to a clear area where they can pick you up and hurry! That's all I can tell you right now,_"She instructs me with a dark tone in her voice.

"Got it. Thank you Dr. Bartoli."

"_Get moving_." She concludes.

I check Km's breathing: It's steady for now, but it's shifting unpredictably. I cautiously take her to the jeep and place her in the back. I hit the ignition and make a turn toward the field. After a rather tense ten minute drive I make it to the grassland. I have no way to signal the rescue team, which causes me to yell in frustration.

_Wait! The jeep has small emergency flares!_

I reach into the glove box. And my heart almost stops as I barely find one small red cylinder-shaped flare. I try to ignite it by taking the plastic lid off the top and striking it with the scratch surface on the plastic lid; however, the wind is strong and it keeps hitting me from all directions.

_Come on…come on! Work dammit! _It doesn't work. I drop the flare down next to me in sheer anger. I almost give up until my head unwillingly turns toward Km. Her belt is showing three different-colored Poké balls, two of which have fainted.

My eyes widen.

…_Km! Her last Pokémon is a Fire-type! _I run back to the jeep towards her and take an Ultra ball from her, _it's a good thing I stopped her from using this._

I throw the black and yellow ball in the air, "Km needs your help…Growlithe!"

The ball releases an orange-colored canine which has black stripes covering many parts of its body. Its chest, tail, and mane are beige instead. Confused, it looks around for its trainer and finds her on the jeep unconscious. It whines softly to her as I grab the flare and brandish it to the dog. It immediately recognizes me.

"Listen, I need you to use Ember on this. I can get her to safety if you do this!" I command.

Not hesitating, it roars as many small individual flames come out of its mouth. This causes the flare's components to explode. It's very bright and just what I need to signal the helicopter. I rub Growlithe's mane as he pants in joy, "Good boy." I go ahead and call him back into the ball.

As I set the flare down on the ground to grab Km, many thoughts are going on in my head.

_Was Km going to die? Is she even still breathing by this point? This is my fault._

I hear a whimper. It's coming from Km. I am surprised and relieved to see that she is conscious.

"Ansel…I…I'm sorry I wasn't careful," Her voice is extremely croaky from the sting, "Don't try to talk please. You're going to hurt your vocal cords."

"I might…die…tonight Ansel…" She says halfheartedly.

"Don't say that, you're not going to die! I've got help coming for you-"

"I…feel numb."

"Please Km…don't say things like that. We're partners and if you die then what the hell am I going to do with myself!? This is my fault Km!"

"No…it was our fault." She retorts.

I begin to cry softly as I hug her, "We'll get through this I promise…"

Then, a black-colored Mi-17 with an '_R_' sign arrives and successfully lands causing many hidden Pokémon in the grass to run away in fear. It's a glimmer of hope for us as I see two Team Rocket Grunts come out. One grabs Km from me while the other heads toward the jeep. I also run to the jeep to get my messenger bag and guitar and give the grunt the car keys, "Thanks."

I then rush back toward the helicopter, "I am so glad to see you guys! How can I repay you!?" I ask.

"You can start by getting your ass in here! The whole city is on full alert tonight. Looks like you guys caused quite a mess." He shows me a small wanted poster which has our faces on it. I enter the helicopter and sit down on one of the seats. I take the poster from him and examine it.

It reads: _Wanted for mass robbery. If you see these two fugitives, report them immediately. Reward: 1,000,000 Poké Dollars._

"If that's the case, we need to stay clear from Viridian City for a while." I sigh.

He moves his head sideways, "It's not just Viridian that wants your head. It's the whole region. You're on their most wanted list now my friend."

I stare down on the cold metallic floor, "Most wanted…?"

"Yup, get used to it. Hey, at least you actually get stuff done. You're more successful than those other 2 famous idiots: Jessie and James. You guys actually catch Pokémon without any problem."

Km was placed horizontally on a row of seats and kept in close watch. I suddenly feel the earth shake as we are lifted off the ground. I regain my posture, "How long before we can get her to a doctor?" I ask.

"Hard to say. We'll do the best we can." I look back toward Km, she has been unconscious for a few minutes now, but fortunately she's still breathing.

It's night time but surprisingly, in just five minutes we reach the outpost. It has fewer guards than back at base but much more room to spare. Of course it has more room. Our base is mostly a research facility for Pokémon. This place has about five separate buildings with the main one to the north: it's huge and has a helipad.

We land on the helipad and from I notice immediately is that this place looks like an abandoned factory. The helicopter then takes off without us and disappears into darkness. Because of my small structure I am unable to carry Km, so the older man does it instead.

"This way!" He takes us to a door that leads inside the building. For a moment I am in awe. The inside of this place looks like a huge warehouse for the sick and injured with hundreds of portable travel beds all lined up in countless rows. This noisy place is a hospital…for Team Rocket members.

We make our way down some stairs to reach the first floor. After the man helping us informs the doctors of our situation however, one of them lead us to the third floor toward the intensive care unit. It's a small and narrow hallway with columns that are barely supporting the damp ceilings. Despite the possibility of this place collapsing at any time, they nevertheless take us all the way down the hall and into an empty room. It's filled with mostly home-made medical equipment.

"Nurse Mello, place her on the bed please."

The nurse nods as she places my partner gently on the soft fabric. The doctor walks toward a machine and flips a switch as he puts a mask on Km. The breathing machine turns on and vapor begins to escape from the mask. He then injects several needles under her skin. Afterwards, he turns on the heart monitor and it's an awful sight: her heart rate is really low. The nurse brings several transparent bags of medication and sets them on a rack by the bed.

"Hope she gets better. Take care." The man from the helicopter says as he leaves, "Thanks for your help." I say.

The doctor finishes and walks toward me offering a handshake, "Good evening, my name is Anthony Preston and I am the critical care specialist here at 3C 273. She will be fine here with us; however, I have to ask you to leave."

"W…why?" I blink twice in confusion.

"She requires tracheostomy for her difficulty in breathing and I have to ask you to wait in the main lobby downstairs."

"Trach…what?"

"She requires immediate surgery. She cannot breathe on her own because of the poison. It is fortunate that you brought her here in time because most people cannot survive more than an hour from Beedrill poison. The staff will do what they can with her."

I walk to Km and kiss her on the forehead, "Stay strong Km…I'll be waiting outside."

She hears this and barely opens her eyes. She struggles to speak, "When I see you again…play me a song…a Classical piece…just in case…I die."

I nod softly as tears fall from my face again, "…okay," I hesitate, "But you're going to be fine, I promise…"

"I…I don't want to die…not yet…"

I walk out of the room to head down the hallway as I try to cover my tears from the other Grunts but it's useless. I burst into a sorrowful cry as I collapse along the wall.

…

Many hours go by and it's past midnight. Most of the patients that are kept in the large open room are sound asleep. I'm still holding her Poké ball and I haven't stopped thinking about Km. I haven't slept. It's hard to do so because I'm lost in an endless cycle of thought.

_So this is death_?_ Closing your eyes hoping that you'll somehow make it through in the end, but it's useless because there's a chance that you're going to die anyway? Is that what living is all about, hoping something will work out the way you want it to but it never does?_

If Km was to die in such a depressing building where the concrete is falling off its foundation and the wood is rotting, where would I go? Km and Team Rocket are all I have left in my life. Now it's sad to think that tears are forbidden within Team Rocket because it is widely believed that it is a sign of weakness.

And then it hit me…was it worth risking our lives for Team Rocket just to steal Pokémon? I wonder if anybody cares if a Grunt dies. There's so many of us that I begin to wonder if Dr. Bartoli helped me because I was her friend or because it's her job to help others.

It's amazing how your whole view of everything can change in less than a second.

I see the same doctor stride towards me with the nurse, "She's in critical condition. There is a chance that she might die. You can go see her, but please walk on your way there. You have five minutes because your base requires that you return immediately."

I run, not walk, to the third floor down the same hallway. I see Km and she has many instruments attached to her. Km no longer has the oxygen mask but instead has a device placed on her throat: it's a breathing tube. She's sleeping, so I shut the curtains behind me and sit down next to her. I begin to cry miserably on her bedside.

This is it. This could be the last five minutes I'll ever get to spend with her. After that, I might never be able to see her ever again. The sheer thought causes my voice to stutter a lot.

"H...here's your dog. You've trained him well." I say softly as I place the Ultra ball next to her.

"Km…Leila…I should've always called you by your first name. You've taught me a lot over the years. I remember the first Pokémon I caught as a boy thanks to you. I remember helping you catch Growlithe and how I didn't stop hearing the words: _I caught it myself_, _all on my own_." I rub my nose in sadness, "I'm happy we spent time together, from when we were just fourteen to where we are now. Hear me out Leila…it's…not over. It doesn't have to be over for you…"

Remembering what she had requested from me earlier, I grab my guitar, "It…it's a good thing I like Classical music," I say softly, trying to soften the situation, "I know you'll love this one."

I begin to play a classic: BWV 998 "Prelude" by Johan Sebastian Bach in D-minor for guitar. The first few notes are the hardest to play and it's not because this is a difficult piece to learn but rather because I can see her sub-consciously turning toward me with a smile. I look away as I continue playing. I pretend to watch where I am placing each finger on each specific fret to hide my tears but inside me this is painful for me to do.

Halfway through the music, the doctor comes in and interrupts our session, "Time to go. Pack your things and report outside for evaluation."

I stand up from my seat and kiss Km in the cheeks. I then walk towards the taller man and say in a threatening voice, "You make sure she lives. I'll keep in touch." I say as I leave the room.

"That's not for you to decide." He says quietly.


	8. Revenge

**Chapter eight: Revenge **

It's the third day.

It's been three days since my human life ended. Just like the day before, Orion and I are taken from our cage and brought into the test chamber. Here we are put into the same machine, only this time the it is stronger than before. As a result, we go through twice the hurting than what we had yesterday. As I was inside this thing, trying to cope with the aches and pains, I can see Dr. Bartoli's face: this was entertainment for her. She was smiling like a child on Christmas day. This only made me angry and as this was going on for hours, my anger only got worse.

_What did I do to deserve this? Was the mistake at my job bad enough to give me this much suffering!? I hated this human! I wanted to kill her!_

I was in so much pain that I couldn't think anymore and I lost consciousness.

When I woke up I am inside the cage again. I see Orion nearby. The Pikachu is covered in burn marks and has bruises everywhere just like me. He is hardly breathing, which has me worried. This mouse is my only emotional support in this place, so if he were to die then I would surely go crazy in no time.

I hear a laugh nearby as I am barely able to turn my head around. It's Bartoli and the Grunt from two days ago. My vision is blurry but my ears are able to perfectly pick up the conversation that they are having.

"It's only the second day of testing and they're already weakened by the more feeble moves. Perhaps the formula is useless afterall."

"Look, they're just Pikachu's. They're naturally weak Pokémon. I don't see what you'll accomplish from this. So far you've only succeeded in turning a human into one of them and that was an accident. Why don't you try it on stronger Pokémon?"

"You're right, I will eventually. I'll give them another day. If the results are the same then I'll have them purged."

He steps back in surprise, "P…purged?" He asks.

"It's a figure of speech. We drop them off somewhere far away like all the rest and then we let nature decide their fate. They will never find their way back here that's for sure. Don't worry though; they'll have plenty of time to adapt to the forest again should they fail."

"As long as you don't put them to sleep I'm fine with whatever method you use to get rid of them."

Silence takes over for a few seconds before she slaps her hands together enthusiastically, "Well then Cy. You're officially my new assistant. Let's start by taking several other Pikachu's down at the chamber for testing. Then we can call it a day."

"Alright. Sounds good."

I hear sounds of Poké balls go off as they leave the room. Dr. Bartoli does not turn off the lights this time.

"P…purge us?" I hear Orion say faintly. I crawl to him slowly, "We can't let that happen…" I say with the same amount of weakness in my voice.

"Why not…we'll at least be out of this place and back in the wild…"

"I didn't trust Dr. Bartoli when she said that…I think…I think…she really does put Pokémon to sleep if they're too weak…"

Then suddenly, Orion jumps up with a burst of energy but because he is still in pain, he clutches his stomach.

"How can you think like that!?" He shouts.

I stand up too but now we are both identically holding our bellies in pain, "Think about it, this is Team Rocket. They don't care about Pokémon. They only use them for profit. I think it is good enough to believe that they do it just because they don't care."

"If…if you're right, then we have to rest a lot for tomorrow. I'll brush off the opportunity to learn how to read and write for later."

"Yea…"

_It's a good thing we hid the pen and piece of paper behind the mirror. I guess Dr. Bartoli didn't care about it anymore since she has a new one with the same color from what I saw earlier._

"What about you…? Care for a quick lesson…?" He was still struggling with himself.

I raise my head.

"Not a good idea…I really think we should rest."

"You look fine to me…" He raises his eyebrow.

"You're going to push yourself too much...wait what?" I look down to see that all of my injuries had healed rather quickly, "H…how?"

"I guess she was kind and gave you a potion back at the other place while she left me with nothing but air to breathe this time."

"No…no she couldn't have done that, I fainted inside the machine and when I woke up here I was covered with marks…"

_Fainted? No…I lost consciousness. I'm human remember. Anyway, I guess it was the formula doing its job after all._

"Now that I think about it-"

My nose got itchy and I sneezed very hard into the coat of fur on my arm. Suddenly, I felt ill.

"Forget it, not today Orion-"

_Ahhhcccooo!_

"But thanks for the offer…"

"This just got awkward…" He says softly.

…

For the rest of the night, I feel miserable as my body becomes a hotspot for illness. Dr. Bartoli did say that I had the flu and honestly I did feel a little down at the start of the day. This was unlike any flu I've ever had. For one thing, at random times, I would feel myself give off tremendous energy in the darkness of the cage. This energy was electricity and it surprised me the first time it happened. It certainly surprised Orion in the middle of the night. Eventually we couldn't fall back asleep, so I kept close watch on my sudden bursts of lightning that was coming off from both of my cheeks while he desperately tried to fall back asleep. The odds of us getting through tomorrow weren't good.

But to be honest, this was kind of cool and frightening at the same time. How did this not hurt? How am I able to generate electricity like this? Why is it that I'm not paralyzed from the shock? Oh yea…because I'm a Pikachu…I keep forgetting. _No…I'm human…dammit…_

It must be cool to use ThunderShock and much cooler to use ThunderBolt. I was having too much fun with this despite my runny nose and headache.

_Remember what I'm trying to do! Turn back into a human. I'm doing the exact opposite of what I'm supposed to be doing: convincing Dr. Bartoli to change me back!_

Now that I think about it, being a Pikachu Is pretty cool.

_Shut up! It's a nightmare. Have I forgotten that I have a life outside of here!? A family, friends…and Jen!? Remember her!? I have no doubt she's wondering why I haven't called her yet! She must be frantically searching for me right at this moment and I'm here thinking about how cool it is to be a rat!_

"Ugh…my head hurts."

Unfortunately it did get worse as the night went on, but the good news is that I finally fell asleep.

…

It's the fourth day.

I still feel sick and it's only getting worse. The doctor decided to leave me with food and water inside the cage after eating nothing for two days while she and Cy attempted to take Orion with them. The young man grabbed him. I was barely able to see the Pikachu's face: he is angry beyond words, "I can't believe what I'm seeing right now!" Electricity began to build on his cheeks. It got a point where I had to step back. I was holding my plastic plate away because strong sparks from Orion burned some of the food. Soon, all that electrical buildup exploded into a single lightning bolt which electrocuted the young man, "You! You're the one who took me from Rigel! You're the cause of all of my pain!" He shouts like a wild beast. Cy lets go of the mouse as the human yells with extreme pain. It's not long before he collapses on the cold metal floor. Dr. Bartoli quickly uses a Poké ball on Orion, silencing his cries of anger.

"Orion!" My voice cracks as Dr. Bartoli closes the cage before I try to help.

Cy stood up feebly and was about to take the ball and throw it into the wall to break it in pieces, "Next time, I'll give you gloves." She giggles as she stops him just in time. I'm thankful that she did so. There have been reported cases of Pokémon dying inside Poké balls if they're damaged enough. I sigh with big relief. Dr. Bartoli saved Orion's life.

"Keep him away from me…because next time I see that mouse, he's mince meat."

"Unfortunately, you're going to have to start being friends with him because he's a regular test subject now. So…play nice!" She giggles. Cy rolls his eyes as he shrugs off dirt from his black/green jacket. They take the Pikachu outside the room and close the door tightly as always.

I couldn't eat after what happened because my mind kept thinking about what they were going to do to Orion. _Were they going to put him to sleep after this? No…that was a strong ThunderShock. During the skirmish, I saw Bartoli's face: she was impressed._

Too weak to think anymore, I fell asleep for the rest of the day. Later that night, Orion told me that they were going to keep us here longer despite his attack on Cy. He seems depressed now however, much like me. I understand because it's painful to not be able to do anything about your problems. He really wanted revenge on the young boy and it's good that he tried. He proved to himself of his ability to hurt people: this is exactly what Bartoli wants. Despite my condition, I decided to teach Orion more about English until the lights went out, but I was still unable to get myself to learn Pokémon moves yet. I was too sick. Perhaps tomorrow I'll try.

It's the seventh day. The first week has passed.

Orion is starting to show extreme anger and frustration as my condition gets worse. I'm also angry, but I'm too concerned with my sickness to even notice. I am feeling horrible right now. I have the worst Sneezing, the worst coughing and the worst sore throat that anybody could ever get. I also have the worst headache in the world. My fur is now roughly that of a dull white, so I look like a ghost at this point. At the same time, I have black-colored bags underneath my eyes and the fur above my nose is crimson-red.

Despite his anger issues, Orion has been by my side throughout the whole ordeal. He's a true friend to do such a thing. He hasn't stopped to check up on me every once in a while. Today he told me that the flu, according to Bartoli, is a side effect of the formula. I look away after he says this because I think I'm dying. He obviously blames them for my extreme illness and malnutrition. He only gets angrier when I bring up the doctor's name and especially when I say _Cy_. He can't accept the fact that I could stop breathing at any given moment, but I was ready…if I was to die in this small dirty cage then so be it. It would be a better way to go than to be slowly tortured to death inside that horrible machine.

…

I lost track on how many days it has been.

I've been sick for who knows how long. It's probably been weeks or…months? I didn't know because my head has been pounding for a very long time. Orion told me it's been a week and a half since I got sick, so I guess that helps to ease the pain in my thought.

Despite the life-threatening condition that I was in, I had a lot to think about. My life as a Pikachu has been solidified indefinitely, but I still cling on to the hope that Bartoli, or somebody else out there, would turn me back into a human. Unfortunately, as days go by that hope inside me slowly disappears as the realization begins to take over: I may never be human again.

…

Thankfully I recovered quickly in the days that followed, which surprised me but I nevertheless couldn't be happier. My fur returned to its naturally bright yellow color and the bags under my eyes are now gone; however, Dr. Bartoli noticed this and she soon took me back to the machine for more testing. This only caused me to get angrier. The night after, Orion and I began our training. I resume at teaching him how to read and write and after the lights go out, his training session begins; however, he struggles to teach me how to use ThunderShock.

"You've got to concentrate Lucas. You're just letting all that electricity go to waste. Breathe deeply and try again."

I do just like he says as electricity sparks from my cheeks, but I just can't get myself to control where I want it to go. It fades into nothingness as Orion groans but then smiles mischievously, "Okay, how about this," He lights up the room with his cheeks and points toward two objects, "Pretend that those two metal bars holding our cage is Bartoli and…Cy" He hesitates on the last name for obvious reasons, "Now imagine that they're about to hurt you really bad. You can't let that happen, so just let all of your anger out on them. Your instincts will do the rest."

I try getting angry but it's not the same, so my sparks become useless once again as Orion sits down in frustration.

"I don't get why I can't do it…" I say softly.

"Don't worry, all Pokémon in the wild start out doing the same thing you're doing. It's like learning a new language, you're bad at first but you get better as time goes by. That's if you practice of course. You'll get it eventually Lucas." He yawns.

"Thanks for the lesson. I appreciate it Orion."

"No problem. Let's get some rest. We've got another long day ahead."

…

It's been a harsh two weeks, the most difficult that I have ever experienced in my lifetime. My mind and body has lasted this long and it's all thanks to Orion. He's done so much to make sure we both make it through this okay. I'm thankful that he's kind and helpful in every way. He also has me to thank. As of yesterday, he can read and write 'Hello my name is Orion', 'Viridian City, and 'friend'. They will help a lot in communicating with others hopefully, but it's cool that he enjoys the language as much as I do. He really is interested in communicating much more with people. He told me a while back that he wants to learn English so he can know his way around the towns and also to communicate with humans that he likes. I understood his goal and I helped him get there so far.

Anyways, today is just like the day before. This has become a routine for us: wake up, get taken away to be put inside the machine, come back and learn something new about each other in the pitch-black darkness of our cage. So despite the sufferings we go through at day, we both have the opportunity to grow both as partners and as friends at night.

Only today…it was a game change for the both of us.

We were taken into the test chamber and placed on the cold steel counter where we are always placed before testing. Orion is first to go inside today. Cy is careful to press the Poké ball, with the gloves that he now wears as a precaution, and then the familiar bright light envelops the room as the Pikachu takes shape. Cy grabs him as Orion struggles to fight back, but he is placed inside the machine once more as Bartoli laughs, "He's always feisty around you. I love it."

"Well I don't." Cy crosses his arms in a bitter voice.

Dr. Bartoli checks her clipboard, "Over the past week, I have seen tremendous improvement in both of them, but our guest is still vastly superior in every way."

"Good to hear," He says sarcastically.

Suddenly, a phone rings and Cy tugs into his pocket to reach for it, "Hello? Oh hey doctor…what? Flu-like symptoms? What happened to her? I know that! I know she's recovered, but how did she get sick…I'll call you back."

He shuts the phone off and turns toward Bartoli, "You…wouldn't have anything to do with this…right?"

"With what Cy?" She moves her head sideways, "It is flu season remember? She just got it that's all. Remember that she's in a hospital and that place is filled with nasty vermin."

Cy turns away, "Okay, well I'm heading over there tomorrow to check up on her."

"That's fine with me, whatever makes you feel warm inside Ansel." She teased him.

She goes to the machine and sets it to a high setting. It begins to shake slightly as the machine simulates an earthquake inside. Orion is barely able to resist the first move that Bartoli had thrown at him. I cry out to help him but it's useless because I can't use any moves on them. The doctor giggles as she looks at my attempts, "Don't worry, the worst he can do is make you giggle." She begins laughing. I narrow my eyebrows at her. She is truly a monster and has no sympathy for Pokémon at all. The only thing she has always done was to torture others and laugh at their predicament.

By the time that Orion is weakened enough by the machine, Dr. Bartoli proceeds to take him out and then uses a potion on him for later use. I'm next as Cy grabs me harshly and places me inside the claustrophobic simulator. She uses the same move on me: earthquake.

I struggle with myself to keep conscious, but this is the hardest obstacle that I've been in so far. I can hear Orion shouting on the other side of the glass like always. I then struggle to remember what he had said to me last night. I pretend that Bartoli and Cy are the metal bars. They were hurting me right now and the pain was excruciating. Anger began to build up inside of me like never before. I had enough of this. I had enough of Dr. Bartoli and her cruel experiments. I didn't care if she was my only key to becoming human again, I just wanted to be free. As the earthquake intensified inside the machine, powerful sparks of electricity escaped from my cheeks as I narrowed my eyebrows at the doctor. Like everyday, she was smiling with joy and could care less about how I felt. Today's the day we would return the favor to Bartoli and her assistant. Today's the day we exact our revenge on both of them. Today is the day all the pain stops for us and begins for them.

Cy gets nervous as the machine begins to show signs of damage. In fact, the glass begins to slowly crack, "Bartoli…?"

"I know…I'm trying to shut it off…earthquake is too strong."

"It's not that…" He reached into his belt for a Poké ball, "I think we're going to have problems with him very soon."

Inside me, all of the pain and suffering that I have gone through these past few weeks comes back out as pure electrical energy. I yell the loudest I can as large bolts of lightning escape from my body and destroy the glass that conceals me. The ThunderShock was large enough to engulf the entire room as the doctor and Cy ran for cover behind the counter. Needless to say that Orion makes a big smile as the smoke clears. I step out from the broken machine to jump down on the floor, electrical sparks still seeping from my body.

"Unbelievable…" She said as she presses a button for the tentacles to restrain me. I quickly use ThunderShock again and I end up destroying them easily.

"This is ridiculous, he's going down." Cy says as he throws his Poké ball into the air, "Diglett, get him!"

Orion also jumps down from the counter to join me by my side. The shorter Pikachu also has electrical sparks coming out of him. We're both ready for battle.

"We can do this." Orion says.

"I'm sick of all of this pain and suffering, it ends today."

The bright light reveals a brown creature that destroys the metal floor as it heads toward us at lightning speed. Dr. Bartoli rushes to push a switch which activates the security alarm throughout the laboratory. This is the same place where I transformed into a Pikachu, so since this is where it started then this is where it also ends. We both prepare for the fight of our lives as we attempt to escape from this prison, alive.

…

**Hey guys. I hope you're enjoying the story so far. You guys are awesome.**


	9. Resonance

**Chapter nine: Resonance**

It is probably the loudest noise I've ever heard in my life. It is a painful ear-piercing sound that surprisingly sounds like music, bad music. It is so bad that my ears are twitching uncontrollably. The pitch kept changing from high to low in an endless cycle. It is a familiar rising and falling note that you hear in big cities, small cities, large towns and small towns. It's a siren. To be more exact, it's an alarm.

Above me are flashing lights that spin very fast in synch with the alarm. They light up the room enough for me to see everything dimly. They do so because the alarm must have shut off the primary lights inside this laboratory. Yes I was in a lab but now it felt more like I was inside a mouse trap, a really big mouse trap.

To my left I can see a figure standing next to me. The siren lights make it hard to see its yellow fur. Its name is Orion and it's a Pikachu. Concerning my statement earlier about mouse traps, he is a mouse Pokémon, so bad news for him. Unfortunately, as I now remember, I am also a Pikachu myself. How did this happen? Why did it happen? How do I fix it? These questions no longer deserve a place in my mind because I have found that my instincts have begun to cloud my judgment. Instead of asking myself what was going on, I told myself that I was in danger. Abstract thinking was replaced by fierce growls. These were instincts of a Pokémon.

So this is what being a Pokémon is all about, dropping myself on all fours to growl at the most immediate threat? All my life I've watched from far away, wondering how these creatures felt. Now, I was part of that experience. I was about to find out what it truly means to be a part of a Pokémon battle.

At the time we were unaware that heading straight for us on the other side of the large room was a brown mole-like creature that left a trail of destruction in its wake. Orion and I are barely affected by each other's electrical discharge, but the enemy that we were up against was completely immune.

Instinctively, we ran toward the exit to try and escape but found it to be locked.

"No way out." I say softly.

"Behind us." He says as I turn around quickly, "It's a Diglett. Lucas, I hope you know about type-effectiveness because he's a Ground-type."

"Yea I do…I don't know anything else but ThunderShock"

"You should know _Growl_ as well. I'll take care of the rest." He instructs.

"I don't want to feel left out!" I retort.

"You won't be! Your growl's going to help against him!"

"I-"

I am suddenly struck by Diglett's hidden claws and I stagger a few feet back in pain as a result. I look up in fear as Diglett is about to attack once more; however, in a split second I see Orion pick up the unusually bigger Pokémon and throw him down on the ground. Believe me when I say this: the Diglett was _big_ compared to the rest of his kind, and he easily towered above us. To see Orion, a smaller than average Pikachu, grab this mole and throw him was awesome.

"You know Slam? That's great! What else do you know?" I ask.

"Quick Attack and Double Team. Hey…how do you know what it's called? Never mind I already know what you're going to say..."

"Because I've heard about them as a human…"

"And you said it anyways…" He sighs softly.

I hear a shout from the other side of the room, "Diglett! Dig!"

Orion jumps away from the brown Pokémon as it disappears under the metal floor. It leaves a large vacant hole as a reminder.

"Orion, Double Team!" I shout.

He tilts his head to the right toward me, "Right."

The Pikachu begins moving around the Diglett-hole with incredible speed. It gets to the point where I can see another copy of him following the original in an endless cycle. The Diglett emerges from the ground but it only manages to attack the fake copy as it vanishes. Orion proceeds to counter attack by jumping several feet away and then running towards Diglett with increasing speed, but the Ground-Type manages to dig under the earth again. This causes Orion to squeak in surprise as he hits the cold metal floor with a thud.

"Use Double Team again!" I instruct to Orion as I try to find a way through the door. He nods as the same thing as before happens again. I wish I could help him in this fight, but there really wasn't much I could do…until now.

I jump back with fright, because numerous flying robots, manufactured by Team Rocket, enter through the door with syringes attached to their sides. My eyes widened. These weren't just robots made by Team Rocket. They're very similar to other models used by authorities for controlling rampant Pokémon in city centers and town plazas. They're called XARM-872 but most people call them _Needlebots_. They fly in quickly and scan us by using some sort of camera. The flash emitted from their devices blinds me temporarily while Orion seems unaffected thanks to Double Team. Instinctively, I use ThunderShock without any sense of direction as I hear several loud objects hit the ground. I rub my eyes as my vision returns: I destroyed them; however, more enter the laboratory like a swarm of bees. I take deep breaths as I continue with my assault on the Needlebots.

"Diglett, go for the other Pikachu!" I hear Cy shout. I turn to see that his finger is pointed at me and Bartoli has disappeared from the room. We must have scared her off or she must have locked the door earlier to trap us in while she gets help. Anyways, I hear cries of warning nearby as I feel the earth underneath me rip open. I feel great force hit my body as I fly into the air.

"Lucas!" Orion uses Quick Attack again on Diglett as it shakes from the pain. I fall down on the floor with additional force. This causes me to struggle as I try and get up again.

"I was right. This formula is worthless for weaker Pokémon. Too bad Dr. Bartoli didn't listen to me earlier." Cy laughs, "Finish it off Diglett, use scratch!"

As the brown mole races toward me, I close my eyes. I am ready to feel its sharp claws dig into my skin. Fortunately, that doesn't happen because when I open my eyes I can see Orion right in front of me. He took the blow instead.

"R…run!" He shouts.

I stand there in awe but nevertheless shake my head, "No! We're in this together!"

"You told me earlier that you don't belong to any trainer! Don't give him a chance to capture you!" He shouts.

"We can still do this!" I growl very loud as Diglett is caught in its path. It shakes with pain from the noise. It retaliates by attempting to scratch Orion but misses. Orion sees this as the perfect opportunity and once again grabs the Diglett and throws him into the ground.

"Diglett! Damn it! Return now!" I hear the human call out, "I left Meowth inside my room…and Fearow won't do any good against them. Guess I've got no choice…"

Orion and I slowly make our way toward Cy in a threatening manner. He places Diglett on his belt and removes another ball and throws it, "Fearow, I'm counting on you! Use Razor Wind!"

A large bird appears and easily dwarfs the room. I can hear Orion laugh as he and I try and dodge the bright-crescent blades coming out of the bird's wings. Thanks to the effects of Double Team, he's doing a great job moving toward Fearow without getting hit; however, I unfortunately am not so lucky because I am hit by several of these blades. Although it's less painful than Diglett's attacks, I am forced to stay away. I can see my partner jump into the air as electricity explodes from his body, which sends Fearow plummeting down to the ground easily.

"Of course…" Cy says softly as he calls back his bird Pokémon, "Looks like I'm out of Pokémon…"

He steps back with some degree of fear but begins to smile.

"I'll throw my shoes if you want." He says.

"Go right ahead." Orion laughs as he grins mischievously, "I've been waiting to use all my electricity on you. Now it's time you pay for what you've done! This is for Rigel!"

As he prepares to use ThunderShock, his entire body illuminates with red color. Confused, and perhaps frightened, he stops his attack to see himself. My heart stops. I step back but I then run towards Orion.

Realizing that his time in the outside world has been cut short he shouts to me, "Run-"

"No! No! Orion!"

By the time I am next to him, he disappears into a Poké ball. The red trail leads toward the door of the laboratory behind us where Bartoli stands beside it smiling, next to her are several Team Rocket Grunts. Cy laughs as I back away slowly, sweat falling from my temples. My paws are trembling with fear as my breathing quickens. It's over. This is it.

"You both make quite the team, and with enough discipline you'll become worthy Pokémon for Team Rocket." Bartoli giggles. The grunts come in and join Cy and the doctor. They all surround me.

"Where have you been?" Cy says rather annoyed.

"His ball was in storage. Remember we always put them in storage during testing."

"Whatever." He rolls his eyes as Dr. Bartoli passes a Poké ball to the young adult.

"I brought an extra for him." I have my back against a wall as the humans stand above me, "Cy, he's all yours." She says.

The ball she gave him was empty…an obvious sign that my freedom as a wild Pokémon would soon come to an end. Was I going to become a slave to Team Rocket? Is this my fate? I pray that somehow this would not happen.

Cy groans, "For the last time, I don't want a Pikachu on my team…"

"Well okay…does anyone else here want him? I've considered him but now I feel he'll fit better with one of you."

Everybody else shakes their heads.

I sigh with relief. I guess my prayers were answered.

"Maybe I'll give him to Km instead." He chuckles as he aims the Poké ball toward me.

Or not.

Around this time, I almost feel my heart stop completely as I try to back away even more but of course it's useless. He's going to catch me and like always there's nothing I can do about it.

He throws the red/white ball as it hits me in the head. I look up with fear, "No! It can't end like this! This can't be happening!" I shout as my entire body turns red. The last thing I see before I lose consciousness is Dr. Bartoli grinning like always. Sub-consciously, I try to escape from this cramped prison but after several attempts I hear a click.

I pass out.

**Sorry for the short chapter guys, but a new year is dawning. I know that despite the shorter chapter, it has a lot of significant story elements going on. Stay tuned for my next update…in 2014! Happy New Year guys!**


	10. Revelation

_Hey guys. Hoped you enjoyed New Years as much as I did! Anyways, I'm happy to say here's the next chapter and it's the longest so far._

**Chapter ten: Revelation **

I chuckle as I aim my Poké ball at the Pikachu.

I frown afterwards because I remember this is no ordinary Pikachu, he used to be human. I observe him: he's frightened beyond control. He's sweating and those stubby paws of his are trembling, but what really got me hesitating is his eyes…they're just like the ones I saw in the surveillance video days ago. The light-brown eyes have the same traits as any human would when they're afraid. I think about all the thoughts that must be going through his mind right now. It's hard to think that just a few weeks ago he was one of us, but now he's nothing more than battle fodder in the eyes of many.

_He's…still human…I think. I'm not sure I can do this…it feels…different. It feels…wrong?_

I turn toward Bartoli: she nods her head slightly. I take a deep breath.

_I've lived my whole life doing wrong things…why should this be an exception? He's now a Pokémon…so I guess he's going to have to start acting like one._

I threw my Poké ball at the cornered Pikachu. I breathe deeply again as it hits the mouse's head and opens.

"Pi! Pikachu! Ka!" He shouts in distress. He disappears into the ball and it shakes back and forth a few times until...it stops. I pick it up with my right hand as it cringes with anxiety.

_I…caught him…_

Attempting to hide my anxious thoughts I say, "Hooray…I…caught a useless…Pikachu." I lean against the counter as I precariously throw the ball up and down several times. Sweat falls from my forehead as I wipe it off casually.

"I assure you, he's far from useless." Dr. Bartoli barely notices as she signals the other grunts to break formation and help clean the mess.

"I hate to break it to you, but my ground-type is vastly superior." I place the ball on the counter, "Km hates Pikachu's, so you sure you don't want him?"

_I just want to get rid of him, so I don't have to think so much about this anymore._

"If you took time to notice, our guest was shouting orders to his cellmate. They worked as a team and as a result your Diglett fainted. Yes, type-effectiveness is key to winning, but if you saw how our guest knew exactly what moves his teammate should have used to counter your Diglett's immunity you would see that they are the ones superior not your Ground-Type."

She grabs the ball, "I guess both of them are mine then, you're missing out."

"Whatever." I shrug, "By the way, it was two against one." My voice almost sounds like that of a spoiled child.

"Cy, why do you think Team Rocket is so successful? We all work as a team. Simply put, you and Diglett are not working as a team." She moves her brown hair away from her eyes, "I see that without Km you're as lost as a beginner."

I say nothing in retaliation. I hold in my angry response by biting my lip, "She taught me everything about Pokémon."

"No, she didn't. You've never had a Pokémon battle alone I see. You've always depended on Km for help and so far it's helped you steal many Pokémon. It's because of her experience in battles and your ambition as a trainer. This is why you're both successful members of this organization."

She is now holding both Poké balls. I lower my head as I fix my hat, "I really don't care about this right now. I'm in no need for a lecture at the moment." I turn away but I face her direction once again, "What happens now to them…you're going to flush them down the toilet?" I chuckle slightly.

She gasps, "Heavens no! They get the rest of the day off. After the presentation tomorrow we resume our regular schedule. The day after tomorrow we will brainwash both of them into submission."

I turn my head away and speak quietly, "I forgot about the presentation…"

"Remember, the main hall will be filled with scientists and members of Team Rocket from numerous outposts and cities. It will be about the successful effects of the formula and its benefits to mankind."

"What success? They lost to us. No success in losing."

"I knew you'd say that. I've perfected it, you'll soon see." She giggles as she leaves the lab. I stand there confused still. At the door she turns to me and says, "Only you know what it's about. Don't tell anyone else."

_Perfected? That damn mouse did nothing but use normal moves against Diglett…this has gone way over her head. I didn't see any improvements in him! Or maybe…wait! Does she mean…_

I turn back toward the destroyed laboratory to find her laptop inside a shock-proof case. I take it out and search its contents for answers. Because I'm her primary assistant, I have exclusive access to her files. I enter the password and I start searching the desktop where I find a folder that's always there: Formula R-7-3.

However, something is different this time…I am barely able to find another folder inside this one. So I click the folder, _A-Z_, to find the names of people. It's a long list with Last names in alphabetical order along with very specific information such as blood type. But before I can investigate further I hear the doors open, I close the folder just in time as Bartoli walks toward me.

"I see you found the list of names."

_Busted._

I turn around, "I…was looking at them, yes. I wanted to see who is involved with the formula. I was checking to see if-"

She crosses her arms, "I see…so you know that you're involved too?"

My heart feels like it stops beating for a second. I try to come with the best response, "Of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

She suddenly smiles again, "Good job. This is the Ansel I know. He's top of his game unlike the other grunts in this facility."

Sweat falls from my forehead again, "So what kind of reward should I expect from this?" I ask her almost quietly.

"You'll see tomorrow at the presentation. I recommend you wear Semi-formal because you're going to meet the boss.

"The Team Rocket boss…Giovanni?"

"Mr. Giovanni." She corrects me, "I suggest you leave the part where your Diglett caused considerable damage to the lab out of the conversation tomorrow." Dr. Bartoli closes her laptop and places it back in the case. She locks it with a key and puts it inside her lab coat.

"You're free for the rest of the day. I advise you go get yourself some sleep for tomorrow. Meet me here at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon."

"Understood." I say as she walks away.

I stand there for a few moments in silence, "Me…involved…with what exactly?"

_Wait…she took blood from me 2 weeks ago…she claimed it was because I'm 'O+ blood-type' like Km is. The doctor said she sent it to Outpost 3C 273 for Km, but I doubt it. Why waste time sending donated blood 200 miles to a hospital, where they have a storage for these things, to Km where they can just do it there? She's lying that's why. _

_I…need that key from her…_

_I need to see what that list is about…_

_Is she planning on using me for…testing?_

_Is…she planning on turning me into…a Pokémon?_

…

"Ow…my head…" I speak softly. My vision is blurry and to complicate things I am dizzy. These feelings perfectly emulate how I felt on the first day in this place. How can a Pokémon enjoy being inside of a Poké ball let alone enjoy anything because I don't remember anything that happened while I was inside one. I guess I'm not used to them.

_Wait…oh…no!_ I feel my ears rise up suddenly because I just realized: I've been captured by a trainer! Not just any trainer, a Team Rocket trainer! This is bad, really bad! This is horrible beyond horrible!

I sit down on the cold metal floor, "How could I have been so stupid!? How could I let myself be captured!? No…I stayed with Orion no matter what. He taught me so much and he obviously cared about how I felt when I was sick, so I risked everything because he's my partner. No, he's my friend. Speaking of him, where is he now?"

By the time my dizziness faded and my vision returned, I stood up and walk towards the front of the cage, "Orion! Are you there?"

"Lucas! Thank goodness. Are you okay?" He asks. I can't see him but I know that his cage is next to mine, "I'm ok but Cy captured me!" I explain.

"I told you to run! You're lucky he didn't keep you inside it forever!"

"I know but I didn't want to leave you to fight him alone!" I retort.

"I appreciate it, but it's too late now. The best thing you can do is to ignore his commands when you're in battles."

"Listen Orion, that won't happen. We're getting out of here...today! We just need to find a way!" I grab the cell bars and start shaking them. He hears my attempts to escape and sighs, "I tried that the first day I got here remember? It doesn't work. You're just going to make yourself tired." I hear him sigh very deeply, "You know…this may be the worst time to say this, but you did well out there. You have ambition and that's great because that means you'll never quit no matter what. You helped me a lot and I appreciate it. I just wish I can have as much enthusiasm as you."

"Enthusiasm?"

"Lucas if you were human you would make a great Pokémon trainer."

"Orion-"

"The energy coming from you when you told me which moves to use is just like that of a trainer."

"Thanks Orion, but-" I say but he interrupts me again, "You are really something, Lucas. But the truth is...I give up."

"How can you say that!?"

"It's over. We had a chance to escape, but they were one step ahead of us."

"It was those damn Poké balls!"

"Maybe…"

"Orion! Don't be like this! You can't quit!"

"I told myself weeks ago that Rigel may never find me and I think I'm right."

"Orion!"

"If you haven't already…look around you." He orders as I do so. I didn't realize that this is actually a completely different room. We were actually pretty high, about six feet in the air. It was high for us at least. To my left I can see a metal door and to my right there are boxes scattered all over the floor. In front of me is a large window with metal bars. Through the window I can see guard towers and Team Rocket Grunts marching across a courtyard.

I was right, this is a prison.

"No...I'm not giving up because of this! We'll figure something out Orion...hopefully..."

…

I make it to my sleeping quarters and grab my smart-phone. I needed to call Km to make sure she was okay. I dial her Team Rocket cell phone number and wait…I walk aimlessly around the room until.

_Click_, "Cy…how are you doing?"

I can hear her coughing very badly, "Good. How's that flu treating you?"

"Not very good…they said it could get worse…"

"It won't. Just have plenty of rest. Listen Km did they, by any chance, inject you with anything odd?" I ask.

"I…don't remember. The doctor said…I caught the flu from another patient."

Remembering the surveillance video I say, "Well don't let them put anything that has very dark-purple color fluid inside you, understand!"

"I have to go Cy…sorry. They're nearby, they don't want me talking to others. I'll…talk to you later…"

"Km, don't let them-"

It's too late because she has already hanged up the phone. I sigh as I sit on my bed and lie down. The sun is setting below the western trees from my window as the last rays of sunlight pass by my bed. They also shine on my yellow guitar, which gives me inspiration to play.

I place the capo on the second fret and I begin to play my version of 'Yellow' By Coldplay. The band itself isn't universally known in this region, they're mostly popular in Sinnoh, and Unova. It's especially popular in Unova, which the entertainment capital of the world. Many Team Rocket members like their music. Then again, who doesn't?

Later, the clock strikes twelve and it's dark. I can't sleep, so I stay up just thinking to myself about what was going to happen tomorrow. The hours pass by rather slowly but I eventually begin to get drowsy. I pass out.

The next thing I know is that rays of sunlight hit my face. I open my eyes and check the time on my phone: it is 3:41PM. The sun is once again on the west side only higher, which means I slept for a long time, and I remember that in just barely an hour there's a reception in the main area. I stand up, take a shower, dry and then shave, and finally dress up in semi-formal attire. I look at myself in the mirror…all I need is gel and the transformation into a dork/handsome gentlemen will be complete. I decide not to use it. Hats aren't allowed, so I just lay mine on my bed next to my gloves. I look again in the mirror: I am wearing a long sleeve blue shirt with a black tie, black dress pants and black dress shoes. Good thing my mother still cares about me.

I check the watch again: 4:18PM.

Just in case, I hide a Poké ball containing my Meowth inside my pocket since Diglett is too weak and Fearow is basically dead at this point, hopefully not. The nearest Pokemon Center is two hours away in Viridian City, but maybe they have 'Revive' and 'Potions' here for me to use. Anyway, I make my way outside toward the hallway and I enter the laboratory where Dr. Bartoli is waiting for me. She is wearing a business suit and her long brown hair has been tied into a bun. Her glasses are just below her eyes. Afterwards, she puts them back into place. She sees me and then smiles, "You look dashing!"

I have to admit that she is beautiful with that look. In fact, why the hell doesn't she wear her hair in a bun? It looks ugly straight down.

_Stay focused. Remember that she's up to something. Wait…she put the key in her lab coat yesterday. It must be in the storage compartment. If I can get to it I can-_

"Not many Grunts such as yourself know that Semi-formal even exists." She places a clipboard on the counter and takes out a sheet of paper from the drawer.

"Good to know." I retort.

"Yes well. This presentation will have high-ranking officials and important members such as yourself. You must feel proud to be a part of the higher food chain." She gives a brochure to me and I quietly take it. I read it.

4th annual Rocket Rise

A presentation for life-changing discoveries with endless possibilities for the future of Team Rocket and humanity

_I always thought Rocket Rise was a stupid name. Dr. Bartoli came up with it by the way._

Special thanks to the Team Rocket Astronomical Society and supporting members for making this event possible

I keep reading the rest of the pamphlet to find usual advertising hidden inside. In the last page it has the list of events going on all night. I close the brochure and hold on to it for now. This will be the first time I go to the event and I'm sure as hell not excited for it.

"Ready to go?" She asks. I sigh, "Let's go."

…

We make it to the reception which is filled with dozens of people wearing semi-formal attire, most of them between the ages of forty and sixty. It's a large room, about a hundred feet across. The tables are next to each wall and are littered with the finest food I have ever seen. Countless chairs are in the middle, they all face a seven-foot tall stage. There is a microphone near the edge, but what gets my attention the most is the band playing music at the middle. Four people: three men and one woman playing Ragtime. The tune is familiar to many people; it's called the 'On the Beautiful Blue Danube'. In short, this place is fancy today. Usually it's filled with beds full of Team Rocket members where they can sleep...

Wait a minute! Where are they now? I've been totally oblivious to the fact that this base was packing full of members for about a week and now they're all gone!

Usually you get relocated to another base or outpost when you get promoted or is forced to leave Team Rocket, so does this mean we have a record number of members promoting or an anti-Rocket rebellion going on? It's weird because the most promotions that this base has seen have been 17 and the amount of people who leave only 24 and that was over a period of 2 years! This place has about 400 members and half of those members have suddenly disappeared!

"Come Ansel, I would like you to meet the boss." Dr. Bartoli says in the crowd. I try not to push as I pass through the labyrinth of people to get to my destination. It's loud and people are talking nonsense, which only adds to the irritation. I follow Bartoli to the right and I find her among the claustrophobic crowd. She is standing beside two men: one of them is dressed in an orange suit and is wearing a red tie and the other is wearing a black business suit. She points to the man on the right, "This is Anthony Preston, a specialist at Outpost 3C 273."

"Yes, we've met previously a few days ago. Thank you for taking care of Km for me."

"My pleasure young man. We need more people like you."

We exchange hands with each other as Bartoli leads the man in the orange suit toward me, "Ansel, this is the boss: Mr. Giovanni."

"A pleasure sir." I shake hands with them. They're cold as ice just like the fierce glare on his face, "Nice to finally meet you Ansel." He says.

I shiver slightly as I let go, "The same can be said sir."

"Bartoli has told me a lot about you: you've become quite the icon in the eyes of many. You're both feared and beloved. How do you feel?"

"I don't know honestly. Km and I are just doing our jobs."

"Well said. That's exactly what it's all about in this world: doing what you're told. One day you're taking orders from somebody and then the next day you're doing the same to them."

"It's just that it kind of sucks that I'm in the most wanted list because I want to go back to going places I love without being pursued."

He chuckles slightly as I raise my eyebrow, "I understand, but you've made this organization quite happy with how you've stolen Pokémon. You should be proud."

"I guess I am…"

We see a man come up next to Dr. Bartoli, "It's time doctor."

"Excellent!" She says as she slaps her hands together and begins to walk away, "If you'll excuse us gentlemen." Mr. Giovanni smiles to me, "If you continue with your hard work, you might one day take my place as leader. For you see Ansel: when I see you, I see all my accomplishments. Take care." He walks away to follow Bartoli to the stage. The music stops as the doctor applauds to them.

"Wonderful! Wonderful! Please give a big hand for the string quartet!" She shouts as people clap. The musicians walk off stage with their instruments as Bartoli stands next to the microphone. She introduces to us the 4th annual Rocket Rise as Giovanni joins her on stage.

Now, if you all will please give a moment of silence, we shall dedicate this time for the Team Rocket anthem." Dr. Bartoli says as the lights suddenly dim. The anthem begins with the sound of a rocket blasting off and then proceeds into the chorus as Music, an orchestra to be more specific, begins to play from several speakers.

_Let the rocket rise_

_Let the rocket rise above_

_Our Team shall rise above_

_Steal Pokémon for wealth_

_All Pokémon Exist for Us_

_Team Rocket shall rise above_

When the anthem ends a loud applause, which is louder than the anthem itself, echoes the entire room. Giovanni then gives a speech about his life's work and then compliments Bartoli and the scientists involved. When he's done, he goes to sit down. Everyone applauds him.

Dr. Bartoli once again claps, "Thank you for that wonderful speech sir." She fixes her glasses, "Thanks to the efforts of many volunteers, scientists, and myself, we have achieved the impossible. Now ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce to you…possibly the most successful item that this organization has ever invented: Formula R-7-3!"

Everyone applauds as a man, carrying a vial containing dark purple fluid, hands the formula to the doctor. She brandishes it to everybody off stage, "This liquid has been tested and has proven that we humans…are superior in every way."

She fixes her glasses again, "This formula makes both strong and weak Pokémon much more powerful and will make people want to buy it for that reason alone; however, this is only the beginning! There is also another effect that can be achieved by using the formula and I shall demonstrate it to all of you momentarily."

Dr. Bartoli calls for a Team Rocket Grunt to come on the stage; he's the only one in this room without a semi-formal dress code. He stands in the middle as the doctor brandishes a device on her other hand, "In a few moments, a Needlebot will enter the room and fly above this young man's head. Do not worry, if the machine is destroyed it will only fall above the stage and will not land on anyone's head!"

Everyone is confused, except Giovanni, but I know exactly what she's talking about…

She presses the button and a Needlebot enters and hovers above the young man's head.

"Use Thundershock." Dr. Bartoli orders the Grunt. He smiles as he raises his hand towards the robot.

Suddenly…as if this had turned into a crazy dream, electricity explodes from his body as he destroys the Needlebot. Gasps echo the room as loud conversations follow afterwards. Giovanni stands up in astonishment.

Dr. Bartoli smiles, "As you can see, the formula can also make humans use the abilities of Pokémon; however, so far it has only been successful on those with the O+ blood type. Those with any other blood type have unfortunately been met with unforeseen consequences. Many of which I cannot describe to any of you publicly. But I can assure you ladies and gentlemen…this is the future of Team Rocket and of mankind!"

I lower my head down as I thought of the folder I saw back at the laboratory.

_I'm O+ blood type, so does that mean…is planning on using me for her sick experiments? Either way, she did it. She was right about getting humans to use Pokémon abilities. But…what will people think about this? It's…unnatural…but furthermore…what happens now to me? To Km? To everyone involved? I have to go back to the lab…right now._

I make my way to the exit as I run to the laboratory. The noise coming from the reception fades quickly as the sound of my feet hitting the cold metal floor takes over. I open the door with my card key and search the storage room for Bartoli's lab coat. I find it and I'm glad to see that her key is inside the pocket where she left it. With haste, I make it back into the lab and unlock the shock-proof case. I take out the laptop and I search for the folder again: it's still there. I search it's contents and…

I find my name…

Not only that, but I also find Km's name on the list. A surge of mixed emotions begin to stir in my mind.

_How could she do this do us!?_

_All those people…_

_I have to see for myself…_

I take the laptop and I walk down the hallway to the video surveillance room. It's always empty because the cameras automatically pick up any sense of threat in the facility. I remember the camera in the laboratory needed replacement yesterday, so that's why the alarm didn't go off on its own.

I check the records, one by one: first I check the first person on the list.

This person is a Grunt and she has B+ blood type and transformed into a Pidgey. Afterwards, she somehow flies into the camera and the video stops. No doubt this was the most recent.

After seeing the video, I check the records: '_died of rejection_'

I keep going down the list, eventually I find out that everyone who has had B+ blood type so far have been turned into Pokémon and have suffered the same fate.

I did find subjects with several blood types of A+ and B-, but the ones with A+ has shown to have died from the flu afterwards. I find AB+ to be the same thing: '_died of the flu_'

So far, any subject with positive blood type have either died of the flu or died of rejection. The ones with negative blood type have survived indefinitely for whatever reason.

Seeing all these people turn into many different kinds of Pokémon and dying afterwards made me boil with rage. I hit the desk with my fist.

_Dr. Bartoli didn't care about these people! She was using them for twisted experiments! How could she do such a thing!? Now I know how it feels like to be tortured by her! How could I have been so damn foolish!? These people didn't volunteer! They were forced to be used in the experiment! Just look at them struggling to get out before they even get injected! _

_…our guest, I have to find him on this list._

As I read down the list looking for him, I found one that did not have a last name.

Subject: 'Lucas'

Blood type: AB-

Date: 9/26/

I set the date of the video to September 26. That was two weeks ago. I watch the video.

_Bingo. It's him. And she must have taken a blood sample from him after he turned._

I read from the list: 'First subject to be used for Formula R-7-3 and the first to survive from both rejection and the Flu. Possible future use of formula on negative blood-types is discretionary'

I bang my first on the desk again, "If I could go back in time, I would stop all of this!"

I then look for O+, my blood type. I look for several and I find that all of them have not been turned into Pokémon at all. They simply got the flu and afterwards gained the ability to use Pokémon moves at will. This is according to the list of course. So, this is the only case where a positive blood type has survived.

Suddenly I hear a door open behind me as light enters the room. I get my Poké ball out and aim it towards the door. I see a silhouette walk towards me which then shapes into Dr. Bartoli thanks to the light coming from the laptop and the surveillance video monitors.

"Ansel, what are you doing here and why did you steal the key from me?"

She's been doing this for two weeks and it was up until when she perfected her formula where she stopped doing this. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe she'll never stop this. She is planning on using me and Km next as part of her elaborate scheme. One thing is for sure…I might kill her because of this.

"Somebody told me you walked out and headed for the laboratory. I tried finding you there and in your room as well as the 'cage', but I found you here instead. Why are you here."

I place the Pokémon ball back in my pocket as I see Bartoli walk towards me. I run toward her and push her into a wall. Despite her being taller than me, my strength is much stronger than hers.

"You better have a good explanation for this Bartoli! You better tell me what the hell your plan is!"

"I thought you knew." She says coldly.

"Explain again doctor!?" I shout into her face, my saliva hitting her cheeks as she tries to move away, "I've told you from day one, the goal of this formula is to give humans the abilities of Pokémon and perhaps even make us much stronger than them."

I shake my head, "And Lucas? Why were you as interested in his performance as a Pokémon?"

"The idea of making Pokémon stronger is only a lie. Our guest became stronger because it somehow happens to AB- blood types. Only two cases have confirmed this. Either way, he's not the future. He's just a cover up. Despite this, remember our goal is to also make them serve us willingly and Lucas is quite strong for a Pikachu, so that's why I have interest in him."

She smiles again, "Wipe that fucking grin off your face." I shout.

"Concerning the future, you and Km…"

"Yea about Km! Why did you even think of using her!?"

"…both share the similar DNA and blood-type characteristics as the other successful experiments. If I give you the formula now, you would gain the abilities of any random Pokémon you could ever wish for.

"I don't want to become a freak show! I never signed up for this!"

"No one ever did. This is business and it's also to save mankind from extinction."

I let go of her as I back away slowly.

"I trusted you…Bartoli…"

"I still trust you Ansel."

"Me and Km were just tools for you…"

"For a good cause." She retorts.

"…you never cared did you…about Km? You only helped us in Viridian Forest because you saw it as an opportunity…to use us?"

She takes off her glasses, "I helped you so you can become stronger. The world is changing Ansel. Faster than you think. Pokemon are getting stronger and more intelligent as the decades go by. Some top scientists have already anticipated that they will ultimately rage war on humanity for independence. It's going to happen Ansel. You don't seem to realize how important this is for me and Giovanni let alone the entire human race. By giving humans the abilities of Pokémon, we are giving ourselves a chance to survive."

"You've lost it…you're crazy." I say softly.

I look back toward the laptop, "All those people you turned into Pokemon…died…just to give humans Pokémon abilities?"

She puts her glasses back on accordingly, "Put to sleep before they suffered too much from the pain. You have to realize that the process kills about 75% of all volunteers due to rejection or the flu. Those with negative blood types have survived. Why did they survive? Why is the sky blue? We don't know." She giggles.

I ram her against the wall again, "Volunteers!? Those people didn't have anything to say about it! Don't lie to me, I saw the videos! You turned them into animals against their will! Just like that guy, Lucas!"

"Let me finish. The other percentage includes the survivors of the formula before it was perfected: Lucas and several other Pokémon and the humans with Pokémon abilities. I found out that the only humans truly compatible with the Formula to are those with the universal O+ blood type."

"You're so full of shit! Do you even realize who you are? You're a murderer! This isn't a game Dr. Bartoli! This is genocide!"

"Sacrifices must be made to ensure that humanity survives. It's survival of the fittest, Ansel. Understand this."

I stare at her fire-red eyes for a long time. My hands shake from frustration, "I can't hear anymore of this. I'm going back to my room…" I let go of her and I slam the door open with all of my strength.

…

I take off my semi formal attire quickly as I put on my black hat, my black/green jacket, jeans and my boots. I take all my Poké balls with me and I throw my guitar over my shoulder as I do the same with my camo-messenger bag but in the opposite side. I take everything I need: water, food, medicine. I have my survival knife, so if worst comes to worst I'll revert to my primal instincts for survival.

I dial Km's number and I wait for an answer.

_Click _"Cy! Thank goodness you called!"

"I'm coming to get you. It's not safe there. Get everything you need together."

"Listen Cy…I think something is happening to me…no! Stay away-"

"Km"

No use, the line is dead.

"Km!"

_We're sorry, the number you have dialed is unavailable. Please try again._

"Damn you!" I throw the phone toward the wall and hold my hands on my head in frustration.

Something happened to her and I'm leaving now. I only have Meowth and Diglett to help me through Viridian Forest. I have no potions to help them through this, so I hope for the best. I plan on taking the jeep with as much force as I can muster.

I know I'm going to cause a racket. I need a distraction in order to get to the jeep.

I mind as well leave Team Rocket with a bang.


	11. 50,000 Volts

**Hey guys. You'll be glad to know that I have a new chapter for you guys! Enjoy!**

**Chapter eleven: 50,000 Volts**

The sun sets below the vast orange-color sky. The last rays of sunlight hit my face as it does. It's the second time I know more or less what time it is. The first time was yesterday after the laboratory incident; however, this could also be the last time I might be able to see the sun set because I heard that they were going to do something to us tomorrow. As a result, I enjoy the view, as much as I can, despite us being in a grim situation as of now.

At times when stress is at its most, I presume most people would do anything it takes to survive, but others just give up easily because they think it's pointless to fight for your own life. Which one of these options is the right one to choose? I guess it depends on the situation.

My friend Orion and I have tried to escape from this place many times before only to be thwarted by the organization known as Team Rocket, but that doesn't mean that we should give up just because we're failing every time in our attempts. This is what I think is right, but Orion doesn't think so. His hope of ever escaping this prison was shattered yesterday by Dr. Bartoli and Cy, so he's been feeling depressed ever since we've been put into these smaller uncomfortable cages.

Suddenly, we hear the metal door to our left open and I see a woman, Dr. Bartoli, enter the room. She is wearing a business suit and her hair is tied in a bun instead of her usual hair. The sounds caused by her high heels hitting the metal floor make my ears irritate with pain. She is holding two small plates of food with both hands.

Is today feeding day for us? How can this be? We practically destroyed the laboratory, which doesn't look cheap, and this is what Bartoli does to return the favor? No torturing or starvation involved, just a wicked smile and some saturated dog food to congratulate us? I guess she must have liked our performance as a team. That's all she ever cares about apparently.

"Dog food again…yay." Orion says softly, I can almost hear him sobbing.

She places the plate, with gloves on of course, inside my cage. I growl at her loudly, she growls back at me. Her tease makes my anger build up again, "Rrrr! Rawr!" She imitates me and then giggles, "You're so adorable when you're angry." She brushes some strands of hair away from her face like always. She turns away toward the door.

"Are you just going to stand there all day? Come in, come in!" She says.

I see a man enter the room: He appears to be in his late fifties. His long brown hair is showing traces of white strands of hair all over the scalp. He is wearing glasses just like Bartoli. The only difference is that she likes to always smile, but he seems to keep a stern look on his face all the time. It feels like a Yin/Yang sort of thing.

I read the name tag on his business suit: Anthony Preston.

He looks in our direction and raises an eyebrow, "So, these two are the ones who made quite a mess in the lab yesterday." His raspy voice is deep, which sounds like a man who has smoked too much in his lifetime.

"You're familiar with Lucas of course. He was our first experiment." She points to me.

"Of course, I never enjoyed that screaming of his. I understand if he was in considerable amount of pain, but nevertheless. A man, or rather in this case…a Pikachu, needs to have proper conduct."

He turns to Bartoli and frowns even more, "I understand you want to train them."

"Yes, I no longer need to experiment on these two Pokémon. They just need to be brainwashed to secure their place in Team Rocket. I will be taking Lucas as my own, so maybe you would like the other one?"

"Perhaps, when the time comes." He retorts.

"Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. Have you seen Cy?" Dr. Bartoli asks.

"No I have not."

"Dang. You see, he's in a bad mood and must not leave this facility. He's angry about the whole operation, so I fear that he may abandon it completely."

"I am aware now. Here's my suggestion: convince him to try the formula. After all, he's just another pawn for us."

"I have to correct you on that one. He's my assistant and I don't want to force this on him. Although…I'm afraid he finds our experiments to be…inhumane and-" Her voice seems to increase in retaliation due to his comment about Cy.

"He might be planning to retaliate then. Perhaps even try to notify the authorities of our location. We've had incidents of insubordinates, just as explained, before." He fixes his tie, "Why not use the XARM-872 to apprehend him?"

_Cy…is against Team Rocket now? He didn't seem to mind seeing us suffer inside that machine for hours on end. In fact, it probably felt like a personal T.V show for him to watch with joy. Now he was suddenly not in favor of it…why?_

"The Needlebots? That seems like a good idea. It's best not to hurt him." She retorts.

"He could be planning to escape by using a vehicle." He adds.

"The jeep…my thoughts exactly. He probably doesn't know that the gates are always closed at night unless otherwise opened with permission. He always travels by day, so this may be a challenge for him."

"He will need a proper ID card to get through, which no one apart from us and the base commander has." Preston looks out the window toward the courtyard as Dr. Bartoli joins him.

"Do me a favor, since you have connections with the base commander: Let him know to please notify all Team Rocket members to begin a search throughout the entire perimeter of the base. Let them know that if Cy becomes aggressive, they should not hurt him by any means! He's still my assistant!"

"Understood." He salutes as he leaves the room. Dr. Bartoli leans on the window momentarily, "I can't force this on Ansel…but he has to understand our goal here…"

The doctor soon follows the man out and turns off the lights to the room. She closes the door tightly. I sigh soon afterwards. Yet another day in darkness, like always. I guess I'm going to start talking again.

"Can you believe that? Cy is apparently a fugitive now." I tell Orion.

"Good. I hope they stuff him in a machine like the one in the lab and kill him."

"Or turn him into a Muk." I chuckle. Silence follows soon after as I sit down on the floor next to the cold metal bars of my cage, "So how are you doing over there?" I ask.

"Sad. Depressed. Miserable. I've felt like this for a while now and it's sad to say that my heart hurts." He retorts.

I frown, "You've got to stop thinking like this…this isn't you Orion."

"And what do you know about me?" He suddenly says with an increase in volume from his voice, "All you know about me is that I like to read and write."

"Well…I also know that you're a really nice person and you're helpful to others. You've helped me through the worst time of my life. You're also a pain in the butt like me sometimes." I retort.

I expect a chuckle, but to no avail.

"It'll be okay, you'll see…we'll get through this." I add.

"If you say so Lucas."

"Don't give up now. Give up when you're dead." I tell him, "Ignore that last part. That was a stupid thing to say…" I slap myself in the head, "Look the point is: we've made it this far and I think that's a good enough reason to keep on going."

"Okay."

My ears droop as I groan, "This will be harder than I thought…"

…

About twenty minutes later, it is completely dark outside. It was quiet in this room unlike our old one. We were the only ones in here after all. I could hear the wind howling from outside the window as light from a nearby guard tower takes away some of the darkness inside our room.

I fiddle with my short fingers in silence. That silence is broken, however, when I suddenly hear an alarm go off. Red lights like the ones in the laboratory turn on simultaneously. I jump up with panic. Because this cage is smaller, I manage to hit the roof with my head and this causes me to grab it in pain. My ears droop as I shake my head.

"Owwww!"

Then a voice from a speaker echoes throughout the room.

"_Attention, all employees and guards: a malfunction in the security system has caused all_-"

The voice cuts off mid-sentence as static takes over.

As the pain from my head disappears, a new pain in my ears follows soon after. This alarm was getting annoying.

The Klaxon Siren continues indefinitely, yet through all the painful noise that it was making, I almost did not hear the 'click' sound coming from the door of my cage. I blink twice before walking to the cage to inspect the odd noise. I touch the door and it opens slightly outwards. I smile, "Orion! The cages have been unlocked!" I shout with joy. I look to my left to see that the metal door has automatically opened as well. This may be our chance to escape!"

I carefully climb down the stacks of cages to reach the bottom of the floor. I look up and I still see Orion inside his cage and it's obviously open for him to escape. He's sitting down and not doing anything about this!

"What are you doing!? Come on Orion!"

He looks down at me. He looks very depressed, "What's the point? You're only wasting your energy…" He gives me the cold shoulder.

I narrow my eyebrows at him, "Orion…if you won't even try then I won't try either. We started off as a team, so we'll stay as a team. If we are meant to stay here and suffer forever then so be it! I won't argue with you." I tell him. He looks at me again with his black Pikachu eyes and he stands up. I sigh as I decide to climb the cages back to mine in defeat. As I do so, I almost lose balance but I feel paws grab mine just in time, "I…I don't know what to say Lucas." He helps me up, "I've said this before but…you really are something."

I blink in confusion, "I thought it would be much harder to convince you…"

"Yea well…I was being callous. You're right…we should keep trying. Rigel has always told me this and being in this hell hole has made me forget about what he said. I've remembered now thanks to you. I'm sorry Lucas, I shouldn't have quit on you. We are getting out of here, tonight." He smiles and I smile also, "Can you climb down?" I ask.

"Of course."

"Alright."

We both make it down to the bottom. Afterwards, he hugs me briefly and that surprises me, "Thanks for the support Lucas. Let's go."

We run out of the room to find many Pokémon running rampant. We see a couple coming toward us with anger. Thinking they are about to ram us, we both try and get out of their path, but to our surprise they pass us and go after a couple of Team Rocket Grunts instead. We both look at each other and it seems that we are about to chuckle, but I instead look around for an exit. To our right, down the hallway, are stairs; however, as we make our way toward it, many Needlebots come from all sides and begin to attack every Pokémon in sight. Some fall easily to the bots. Other Pokémon such as Charmeleon's, Raichu's, and Nidorino's easily dispose of their opponents.

"_You Grunts are useless. I wish I had better ones. Oh well…for those who care about their job, use stun guns and go after the specimens upstairs. You shall be rewarded greatly." _This voice is different…it's Bartoli's! And I'm not sure if she was yelling at us or not. Either way, several robots come at us with lightning speed, their tranquilizers ready to fire. I decide to retaliate first. I lift my arms up and I then bring them close to my chest as electricity surges through my body.

"Take this!" I yell as I close my eyes. I destroy some of the robots, yet some still manage to get near us and they start firing their syringes. I open my eyes just in time to see several needles hit the ground near me.

"Whoa!" I jump back from many more as they attempt to strike my skin every time.

"Look out! Don't let those needles touch you!" I shout to Orion.

I sidestep with effort as Orion uses Double-Team to distract them. His speed easily confuses the dim-witted machines. With most of them focused on the fake Pikachu, both of us release a double ThunderShock toward the rest of the Needlebots. We take a very brief rest after they are destroyed.

"Come on…before more of them show up." Orion says as he pats me on the back. He starts running on all fours toward the stairs. I have trouble doing the same thing. In fact, I keep losing balance repeatedly. I groan as I struggle to run on all fours.

He stops and looks back toward me.

"…?"

He runs back to where I am, "Lucas? What's going on?" He sounds worried.

"I…I've never learned to run or walk on all fours…" I say softly.

He waves his arms around, "Well I can't give you an in-depth lesson in this chaos!"

"I'll try and keep up, I promise!" I retort.

Orion nods as he runs back to the stairs, only slower than before, and periodically checks up on me. I'm trying to walk as fast as I can on two legs but it's a pain. I've already fell flat on my stomach two times.

Then, we hear an explosion to our left which makes us jump in surprise: three Team Rocket Grunts jump out of a door that has been engulfed in flames. Two of them roll in the ground to put out the fire on their backs, but the other runs in circles: "Hot, hot, hot!" The sprinklers soon turn on above them and extinguish the fires completely, but then shut off. The grunt running from the fire sprints toward the stairs, "Screw this!"

"Hey!"

"Forget him, we've got bigger problems!"

A Charizard then bursts out of the door and roars at them.

"Who let this Charizard loose anyway!?"

"Shut up and shoot it!" the first grunt, wearing red and white armor, shouts as the other shoots the tranquilizer. The dragon simply breaths fire and melts the flying object instantly.

"Keep shooting!" He orders again to the female grunt.

"Forget it, I'm out of here!" She drops the rifle on the ground and runs toward the stairs in our direction.

"Hey! Where are you going!?"

But it's too late.

"…cowards!"

The grunt looks back to meet the Charizard eye to eye as he whimpers. The dragon exhales smoke from its nostrils on the man's face.

"Wait…wait for me!" He follows the female down the stairs.

A short time later, after making it through the chaotic hallway, we reach the stairs and carefully jump down each step. But as we do, we are suddenly attacked by several Zubats: blue bats that have purple-color wings.

"H…hey! We're on your side!" I shout as they try to bite us.

"Forget it, just shock them!" Orion yells as he uses ThunderShock. I follow his lead as the bats faint from both our electrical attacks.

He breathes deeply with relief, "They're just agitated. It's nothing personal toward us." Orion explains as he begins walking down the stairs again.

"I don't understand. They can think for themselves, can they? If anything, they should attack the grunts not us."

He looks up toward me, "When a Pokémon's life is in considerable danger, that's when all reasonable thinking that it has turns into pure instinct."

"I still don't understand. If that's the case why hasn't this happened to us?"

"…'cause they haven't threatened to kill us yet…" Orion retorts as he keeps going down the stairs.

"Wait! We can't just leave them here…they'll get captured again or worse!" I say as I examine the unconscious bats.

"We can't help them Lucas, we got our own problems to deal with. If we don't leave now, we might get captured again ourselves! Come on!"

I look at the bats one last time with regret. We're responsible for these Zubats not being able to escape this place tonight. I know Orion didn't feel great about leaving them behind either, but I guess he's right…we got our own problems to worry about…

I sigh softly as we continue our journey down the stairs and that's when I notice I feel a little stronger than before our encounter with the Zubats. In fact…I feel as though I've learned a new move. It feels strange. It's as if somebody has instantly uploaded all the notes necessary for learning a guitar song into your brain. As I try to determine which move I've learned, the back of my mind told me: Tail Whip.

"I feel weird Orion…stronger I mean."

"You leveled up." He simply states.

"So this is how it feels like to level up? Because apparently I just found out I can use Tail Whip."

"Yup, that's how it is."

"That's…interesting." I say, "I can't imagine how it must feel like later on-"

"Focus, we're not out of here yet." He says as I snap back to reality.

We make it to the first floor and we are greeted by blazing fires and screeching Pokémon that are attacking many Team Rocket Grunts. Some of the other grunts are using homemade fire extinguishers, but the Fire-type Pokémon are winning the battle.

I search for an exit sign nearby, but I stomp my foot in disappointment after finding none in this corridor, "I say we head left down this hallway." I tell him, "Sounds like a plan." Orion agrees.

We make our way down the empty hallway; however, we stop to hide behind a wall as we hear footsteps coming in our direction. I take a look to find two Team Rocket Grunts running down the hallway toward the direction of the fire. I was sweating all over the place, my heartbeat was out of control and my breaths were shallow. Fortunately, they pass by without noticing us. We sigh with relief.

"Let's go." Orion says as I lead the way. We keep going down the steel corridor until I see two signs on the wall:

"_Left - Cafeteria."_

"_Right – auditorium"_

"What do they say Lucas?" the Pikachu asks.

"We can go to the cafeteria to the left or the auditorium to the right."

"What…cafeteria? Auditorium?"

I roll my eyes, "They're places where humans go. I say we go right."

We walk/run down yet another hallway where we are greeted by several dislodged doors with shattered glass all over the floor. Inside is chaos: people wearing suits and dresses and they're battling the other Pokémon. Yet, through all this mess I can see an exit sign on the other side. I smile, "Come on! Our exit is just over there…Orion?" I ask, confused.

I look behind me. My ears droop with fear as a shadow towers above me. It brandishes a Poké ball in its hand as he/she smiles. The shadow reveals to be none other than…Dr. Bartoli. I jump into all fours and growl loudly.

"Hello Lucas. Enjoying the fun? I hope so. I'll tell you what. I like playing games, so I'll give you a head start to run. I'll give you three seconds. " She giggles. Bartoli puts Orion on her belt as she takes an empty Poké ball out.

Electricity begins to spark from my cheeks. I narrow my eyebrows as powerful lightning escapes from my body. I control my breathing.

_Orion…I…won't let you down. Hang on…_

Unfortunately, all my thinking disappears as instinct takes over.

"One…"

"Two…"

Intuitively, I begin running towards her on all fours, she stops counting as she presses on the ball. Almost instantly, a red beam heads in my direction, but I jump aside just in time. The doctor tries again as I jump in the air toward her. I hear the woman yelp as I hit her in the torso and electricity explodes from my cheeks. This results in Bartoli receiving 50,000 volts of electricity that is equivalent to a police stun gun, so in a fraction of a second she was down on the floor howling in pain. I quickly reach into her belt and pull out the very small Poké ball that she had put away. I set it down on the floor and I press on the switch to make it larger. Then, I jump in the air to press it again to free Orion. He looks confused but looks at the doctor, who is paralyzed.

"You…you got her? Wow! You're awesome Lucas!" He grabs my paws and he starts jumping with joy. I chuckle, "She had it coming I guess." I say.

"Too bad that punk, Cy, isn't here with her…" He says. As Orion keeps talking, I look back toward the exit and my ears go all the way up, "Listen Orion, there's an exit I found just as you were put inside the ball. It's over there and it's open for us to escape!" I point.

"Let's hurry."

We both run through the chaotic crowd, but unbeknownst to us, Dr. Bartoli is once again conscious and she looks in our direction. She moves her sleeve up to reveal a digital watch. She presses several buttons, "Don't let them escape. Go…and…bring them to me…" She passes out.

As soon as we reach near the center of the auditorium though, a Team Rocket Grunt jumps in our way and throws a Poké Ball. The ball opens and a Rattata appears which growls at us. It's basically a rat but purple/beige in color with noticeably large teeth. Orion steps in, "Allow me." He says.

"Go ahead."

"Hyper Fang!" The man shouts as his Pokémon tackles Orion to bite him, but the Pikachu thinks ahead and uses the energy used by the rat to throw it into the ground hard. It faints automatically. The trainer calls it back.

"I'm out of here!" The human runs way as Orion cleans dust off him.

_This is a breeze for Orion. He's fairly high in level…Rigel must have trained him really well._

"Very nice." I clap my paws together, "I just loving using Slam. It's the coolest thing ever." Orion puts his arm behind his back. My eyes widen as I push Orion and move out of the way. Good thing I did because about five people landed in the same spot because of an Onyx.

"Thanks."

"Come on" I say as I try to run on all fours again, but once again it's hard. I realize that I somehow learned how to run this way during Bartoli's attack; however, now I couldn't…I guess it was instincts…

…

After going through a concrete passage, we finally make it outside. Both of us, at the same time, breathe in the fresh air. It's the first time we do so since two weeks. We both look at around in different directions: many guard towers have been demolished and several places along the vast prison wall are gone. We run through the courtyard as we see more Pokémon fighting the Team Rocket members. Others simply flee into the forest adjacent to the prison, which is what we're going to do. The Pokémon who do decide to stay are the much larger ones and they are assaulting everything in sight. As we run across the dangerous courtyard, something jumps in front of us once again and stops us dead in our tracks. We both look up at the slightly taller creature. It's a Mankey: a Primate Pokémon. It looks just like a monkey but its nose is pink and its paws are brown in color as well as its tail.

"I just wanna leave! Can you guys stop getting in our way!?" Orion yells in frustration.

Just as the Mankey is about to attack us, the pig monkey is hit by large amounts of water. It miraculously shakes the water off in pain as it flees from battle and then we find ourselves dodging long jets of water coming at us from the other direction. We both look to see a giant turtle with cannons on its shell: a Blastoise!

"Run!" I shout as we escape toward an untouched section of the twenty-foot tall concrete wall. We look back to see the turtle Pokémon engaging several other smaller Pokémon, that are trying to escape, instead. It lost interest in us and unfortunately it seems to be defending the damaged wall from where it is: it belongs to a Team Rocket Grunt.

"What do we do?" I ask. Orion looks around and taps me on the shoulder. He points to a hole in the ground from where the wall is.

"Look familiar?" He asks.

"A Diglett hole?" I retort.

"Cy no doubt." Orion explains.

We both crawl in the hole and manage to make it to the opposite side…freedom! We see a long dirt road that's empty for now. I automatically start walking along the side of the road.

"Lucas? We need to head into the forest!" I hear Orion shout from behind me.

_This road may lead to a town…if we go into the forest we could risk getting lost…_

"No, we can't. We have to follow this road. We can go find help…maybe even find Rigel." I say.

"Team Rocket uses this road I have no doubt! We can't risk it!" He shouts at me.

"It's too dark inside the forest! We'll get lost!" I shout back.

He walks next to me, "Listen…we need to go inside the forest now because-"

Then, the ground suddenly shakes as we hear a loud noise. Large amounts of dirt blinds our vision temporarily. After it clears, we step back as we see a large figure climb out of a crater that it has made.

Standing in front of us is a fifteen-foot tall robot. It has six arms protruding from its silver body. Above its body, and supported by two metallic bars, is a large head. It has a face which has wide camera-lens on each opposite side similar to a fish but no nose or mouth. From where the head is, there are square-shape 'ears' that are slightly bigger in comparison. Taken from my best analysis of the situation, inside these ears are missiles that are just waiting to be fired at us. To top it all off, the robot has the usual red 'R' symbol on its robotic body. Below the red symbol is a printed label that reads: XBRM-872. Its name is similar to the Needlebots only that the 'B' is there instead of the 'A'. On the metal disk supporting its neck we see a three digit number: 004. I've never seen this model before, so I have no idea what it's capable of.

Its wide eyes move down to see us, both were yellow in color. Shivers run down my spine afterwards. Even if I was human, this thing would still easily be much taller than I am and as a result I gulp.

It looks at both of us back and forth, deciding which Pikachu to attack first.

"What is that thing…some sort of spider?" Orion asks.

"A _Spiderbot_. I might be wrong." I look towards him.

It starts moving at us. Each arm impales the soil with such force that the ground shakes around us as it does so. Orion makes a decision to use Thundershock on it, but it does nothing. In fact, it's immune to electrical attacks altogether.

"This…could be a problem…" He says as he backs away, sweat falling from his temples. The robot focuses on Orion now. Its yellow pupils shrink with anger. It retaliates by producing a bright flash with its eyes. This causes Orion to shield his eyes in pain as I close them just in time. When I open them again, I see the robot jump several feet in the air above the Pikachu.

"He's above you!" I shout as I run towards the mouse. I'm struggling on two legs as I run to save Orion, but luckily I push him away just in time, but the robot's large body crashes into the ground and creates a small but powerful earthquake that causes me to fly up in the air and hit the rough dirt with force. The sharp edge of one of its arms opens and small claws come out that cling to my body with ease. It lifts me off the ground and examines me thoroughly.

"Let him go!" I hear Orion shout as he slams his body against the Spiderbot. The robot turns, it makes a three hundred and sixty degree turn by using its circular body instead of its legs. Without hesitation, it uses an extra arm to throw the Pikachu up in the air. I use Growl on it as a response but of course it proves to be useless as it turns back toward me. I can see one of its ears slightly release something: a syringe. It's preparing to use one on me. I struggle from side to side, trying to escape from its grasp.

Then, Orion once again slams into the robot, but this time he goes for the metal bars supporting its head. This causes the Spiderbot to fall sideways and release me. I walk/run toward Orion. We look at the spider's attempts to recover from its loss of balance but it keeps failing.

"That was close…you okay?"

Just after he says that, the spider retracts its claws and they are replaced by rough tires that dig into the earth. It rolls left and right until it sits vertically again. The tires withdraw and the claws return. Our eyes widen as a result.

"Run!" We both manage to say to each other as we head toward the dark forest. Behind us is a fast moving spider robot. It's dark but the lights coming off from the machine gives us enough time to avoid hitting trees and other hidden things. Unfortunately, we eventually see a wall of trees ahead of us that are practically impossible to pass through.

"Turn left! It's a dead end!" Orion shouts to me. We make a sudden turn to the left, the robot does not have time to retaliate, so it unintentionally rams one of the large trees with its body. The sheer force that hits the tree causes the entire tree trunk to collapse to the ground. The Spiderbot recovers quickly and gains speed again as it moves toward our direction once more. Then, we hear it jump in the air and land in front of us as dirt flies into us. We turn around and flee in another direction. Once again it jumps but this time it grabs Orion and pins me to the ground with one of its arms.

"Looks like this is it! Sucks it had to end this way!" Orion shouts in pain afterwards because the robot had shot a syringe from its 'ear' and it injected the tranquilizer into the Pikachu.

As I try to find a way to get out of its grasp, I suddenly hear buzzing noises coming from a certain direction: Beedrills! The Spiderbot must have disturbed a nest...the tree it brought down, of course!

Distracted, it throws Orion towards a tree and releases me as it attacks the insects. I see Orion stand up beside the tree with pain. I make it to him and inspect the damage: he's removes the syringe from his neck and he's already fighting to stay conscious due to the effects of the drug.

"You alright!?" I ask him, his breathing is shallow.

"Yea...this thing…is unbeatable…just look at how he's getting rid of that swarm…" I look towards the robot to see dozens of Beedrills hopelessly hitting the impenetrable armor of the spider, their stingers break as they come into contact with the steel metal.

"Come on! Now's our chance! Hold on to me!" I say as I instruct him to jump on my back. He does so and he also puts his arms around me. We begin making our way deeper into the forest.

There was a new problem with carrying Orion: although he was a smaller Pikachu, his weight plus my difficulty to walk/run on these two short legs meant trouble. The first time we both fell into the ground was rather unexpected and rough. Not only that but he was losing consciousness as time went by, so falling asleep on my back meant he would sometimes fall down on his back and wake up while others times my new legs would just make a wrong step and cause both of us to fall again.

Eventually we did, thankfully, make it to a cliff…or rather a small canyon that's about fifty-feet down. Thanks to the first-quarter moon, we can see that there's a river and it is moving downstream violently. I look left and right to see where to go…I can't decide which way is safer.

"I think I smell a tribe that's not too far from here…go right…" Orion instructs. I nod as we begin making our way in that direction. He yawns as he begins to slump, "Oh man…I…can't…go…on"

"Hang on Orion! I'll think of something…"

Then…disaster strikes as we feel the earth shaking again. That's when we hear the sound of metal and that's when my instincts decided to take over again, so I threw Orion into the ground away from me as the Spiderbot lands on the ground next to us. Without warning, the force from the impact causes me to fall into the river and the force from the jump causes the earth beneath the robot to collapse. It falls down with me as a result. The last thing I hear is Orion, who did not fall down to the river with us, shouting my name despite him under the effects of the sleep drug. I hit the treacherous water with such force and the currents lash me around uncontrollably that I am sucked underwater as my head hits a rock at the bottom.

I pass out from the pain.

…

**Hey guys! Concerning the moves that both Orion and Lucas have, they are following the move set from the first 3 games: Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow. If you have any thoughts on the action sequences and how they work in this chapter, please let me know if they need to be improved in any way. Pm me your opinions if you wish. Thanks guys!**


	12. The Viridian Forest

**Hey guys! I'm glad you like where this story is going so far. Here's the next chapter! Although it isn't really strong on plot development nor is it long, it's more like an introduction to the second movement of a musical symphony instead. Enjoy!**

**Chapter twelve: The Viridian Forest **

_Where am I..._

_More importantly, w__ho am I..._

_Wait...I remember now...I'm a Pikachu._

_But...what's this voice I keep hearing in my head?_

_ He claims that my body is his vessel, that he has been using, and also claims he's been using it since the day he was born, but was transformed into a Pikachu. But I've always been a Pikachu...who is this person? Is it a person at all? A parasite perhaps, which has taken control of my thoughts? _

_Who is this...Lucas Bright...this...Lucas...Bright..._

_Lucas...leave now, this is my mind you're inhabiting!_

_Lucas...get out!_

I wake up with a sharp gasp as I grab my chest in pain. I bend over to cough but as I do a new pain develops that spreads throughout my skull. I immediately grab my head, which hurts a lot more than my chest. As my breathing returns to normal, I adjust my eyes to the bright sunlight that is hitting me at an angle while I sit upright. I check my surroundings: I see the sun. I see the trees. I hear a stream and I hear wind blowing. Closer study shows that I was unconscious right next to the stream itself. Despite all the clear indications that this is indeed a natural habitat, there are no Pokémon to be seen and there are no sounds of birds chirping or other Pokémon making distinct noises. Am I…alone? No, just because you don't see or hear a Pidgey doesn't mean it isn't there…

I rub my head in pain, but I then hear something burst out of the water. I turn around, startled, to see some very large fish: they have jumped out of the water and are about to fall into the stream again, I shield my face with my arms. With all their combined bodies, they splash me with cold water. Soon after, I throw my fist at them with anger and shout, "H…hey! What's the big deal!?" and then I realize something about the water that makes my ears rise all the way up, "The river…my head is hurting because of this river…"

I close my eyes as I try to remember what exactly happened.

_I remember now…we escaped from the prison, me and Orion, and we were being chased by the robot…wait! Where is that thing!?_

I quickly check nearby for the Spiderbot, but there is no sign of it to be found. This makes me extremely nervous. I quickly move into the shade provided by the forest for now as the pain begins to subside from both my head and chest.

I unconsciously go down on all fours and I shake my entire body very fast to get rid of the excess water from my fur. This makes me raise an eyebrow in confusion as I stand back up, "These Pikachu instincts are really getting annoying. If I wanted to do this, I want to think about doing it ahead of time…"

I inspect the area: still no sign of the robot.

_Let's see…I fell from a cliff…and that damn Spider fell down with me, that's for sure. Orion was the only one to stay behind. When I fell, I heard him shout...but it was too late…_

From the comfort of being under a tree, I watch the stream with tranquil. The river here is calmer than the one I've encountered last night. That's because I have been carried downstream…but how far was I taken?

"I remember hitting a rock before I passed out. I couldn't have been taken very far because I would've drowned." I say to myself. I move away from the tree and I hold both hands near my mouth and shout toward the sky, "Orion!" I yell as my voice echoes which eventually reach the darkest trees of the visible forest. There's an eerie atmosphere inside this forest…at least in this part. No animals respond but me…or at least I think…

I'm near water: which is a good sign and also a bad sign. There may be wild Pokémon nearby watching me. I'm not stupid. Everyone knows that animals need water to survive and being near a river or any other viable water source means that I may be trespassing territory. Being alone doesn't help either. Pokémon tribes often travel in packs or otherwise known as _hordes_, so I simply wouldn't stand a chance against them. I'm an easy target out in the open. Now that I think about it: it was a stupid idea to shout…

The good thing about being alongside this river is that that Orion can just follow the river's path to find where I might have been taken too. That's to say…he wasn't captured. After all, he was struck by a tranquilizer…made by Team Rocket.

Team Rocket...? They're the same thing. They're definitely out in this forest right now in groups searching for any gullible or weak Pokémon to recapture and carry back to the base. They're not the only ones; there are also probably Needlebots and possibly even other Spiderbots to watch out for.

So despite all the fuzz that Team Rocket is probably making right now, did Orion manage to escape or was he captured or killed? Maybe he's mere feet away from this river right as of now? He can't be far from here…then again…he was most likely captured, so I might have to embrace the possibility of never seeing Orion again, but I don't even want to think about that.

And what about myself…I haven't been captured yet, but I don't know much about surviving in a forest. I'm not an expert in survival but I assume Orion is…because he's been a Pikachu all his life. All I've learned from him so far, however, has been Pokémon moves and not really on how to start a fire. Just thinking about it, it would've been great if I was turned into a Fire-Type instead because then making fires would be ridiculously easy, but then this water would have certainly been toxic to me.

This forest is already making me stress out…and despite the threat of running into either random hordes or Team Rocket themselves, I think the biggest threat to my life will be: not finding food in this forest. I need food for energy, and the rumbling inside my stomach right now makes me think about all the possible signs of edible vegetation around here, but as I search and search, It seems that I can't find any fruits or vegetables of any kind nearby. More bad news is that I won't find a table with the best gourmet dish just conveniently placed in the middle of the forest. Also, it's unlikely that I will find cans of Bartoli's signature dog food just lying around, unless she thinks I'm stupid. Just thinking about it: I'm in a vast forest that stretches for hundreds of miles and I'm probably very far from the nearest town, so reality sets in quickly: If anything inside this place moves then it can be eaten and I can't hesitate to eat another animal if I want stay alive.

…_I can't eat…other Pokémon…I might as well use ThunderShock on those fish because they're easy kills…wait, what the hell did I…just…ow…my head…_

I grab my head in pain as I shake it left and right. Suddenly it goes away, which leaves me puzzled.

_Was that…my instincts kicking in again? These thoughts are similar to the ones I've had inside the prison…but I can't think about them right now! I've got to find Orion. I have no doubt he knows where we can find food._

I begin making my way opposite of the river's flowing water. Within minutes I reach a wall of rocks and a fairly small pond…this is a waterfall. It's not a very tall one, thank goodness, but there's no way I can climb it. I look nearby and see a tree that looks like it can get me on top of the waterfall if I jump from it, so I try climbing the tree trunk but it ends repeatedly in failure. I groan in frustration, "Pikachu's are known to climb trees easily! Why isn't it working for me!? Come on instincts, now's a good time to take over for me." Nothing happens as I continue to fall flat on my back with each failed attempt to climb the tree.

I walk back to the pond and look up at the waterfall, "Orion! Are you up there?!" I shout again but I didn't care at the moment. I try climbing the waterfall again to get up, but once more it ends in failure. I decide to walk parallel to the rock formation to find a slope nearby, but there are none to be found. This wall of limestone is like a barrier, preventing anybody from going back the way they came. I don't give up. I keep trying to climb the waterfall only to fall flat on rough dirt all the time. Eventually, my fur is messy and needs to be cleaned. Angry and in pain, I raise my arms up as I shout with frustration, "Orion!? Can you hear me!? Please help me!?"

All of a sudden, I feel a drop of water hit my black nose, and I rub it afterwards. I look up to find more drops of water begin to fall all around me. At first they're small but they eventually grow in size and intensity: it has started to rain…hard. I immediately find myself walking in circles, trying to find shelter to escape the cold pellets of rain. I find a small opening, enough for me to squeeze through, along the impassable wall of limestone. It looks like a den or a cave. It may be inhabited, but I didn't care.

_I could be invading someone's home and I didn't care about the morally wrong feat? Was this…my instincts taking over again…?_

I shake my head a few times, _It's all about survival…I'm by myself…no one is my friend in this forest except Orion. I've got to do everything I can to stay alive. _

Against my better judgment, I enter the cave. I look behind me to see a powerful storm just outside this refuge. I venture deeper as it gets darker. I eventually rely on the electrical sparks on my cheeks to see where I am going. I make it to the end of the narrow path where there is nothing to greet me but an elevated rock to sit on. Thus, I take the opportunity to lie down. The seat is cold and my wet fur isn't helping. I try shaking my fur as I had done before unintentionally but it fails utterly.

"I just don't get this…why isn't it working now?" I sigh softly.

_Not only am I cold but I'm hungry and I'm lost. Thinks aren't looking good for me._

Regardless of my negative thoughts, I lie on the uncomfortable rock in silence. I have no towels to dry myself with, I have no bed sheets to help keep me warm and I have no spring mattress to make sure I get a good night sleep. I haven't had these things for two weeks, but I feel as though this is the place that makes me feel truly alienated from humanity the most. At least inside the prison there was a heater and food provided for me; however, here…I was just another wild animal…trying to survive the best way it can.

_Is this what it has come to? I spent my entire life living in human civilization, never thinking how my life could possibly be like inside of a Pokémon forest…I love nature and I love the trees and everything about them, but I've never actually spent more than a day inside a forest…all alone...lost…hungry…and angry…_

_Yes, I was angry: angry at Bartoli, angry at Team Rocket, angry at humans in general…from what I've seen, all humans are savages…treating us Pokémon as meager servants for experimentation and entertainment. _

_Wait…what did I just think about…ow...my head hurts! _Strange pain causes me to grip the sides of my head very tightly.

_Yes…us…Pokémon…because…I'm not a…human…no…I'm a Pikachu…no! I'm not!? I've always been a Pikachu…no! I'm human! Who…are you!?_

The sound of the mysterious voice in my head fades. I clutch my head for several minutes in pain as I am left to wonder what is happening to me. Is this my Pokémon mind speaking? Is this the person I would be if I was a Pikachu with no human thoughts? Is this my…alter ego? It's…trying to take over…I shiver with fear…am I going through…a psychological transformation as well?


	13. XBRM-872 Model 004

******Hey guys. As always, here's another chapter to 50,000 Volts. Enjoy!**

**Chapter thirteen: XBRM-872 "Model 004"**

It is raining hard inside the forest. The powerful wind blows many fallen leaves all around as the trees sway left and right uncontrollably. Even though it's daytime, it's almost as dark as night because of the storm. Despite the cold rain hitting the mud-spattered ground with intense force, many creatures wearing black uniforms with hats boldly march within the dark forest because they are hunting for their next set of victims. These victims included many different kind of Pokémon, who have escaped from a prison made exclusively for them. The Pokémon were all fleeing deeper into the forest. I was one of them. I didn't stop to rest because they were right behind me. The hunting party included those annoying machines…Needlebots, is what Lucas calls them, and those swift Team Rocket Grunts.

"Thank goodness Lucas isn't here with me...he would be caught easily..."

They almost caught me just after I woke up a few minutes ago. It had started to rain and I was greeted by a flying Poké ball after surveying the river looking for Lucas. I quickly began running down the stream as fast as my tiny legs could carry me. The good thing is that I wasn't the only one they were chasing. This is a mean thing to say but the reality was: the slower Pokémon gave us faster Pokémon time to escape.

Lightning and thunder dominated the dark sky and I would actually stand in the middle of a flat plain just to recharge myself, but running away was my only thought. I narrowly dodge a syringe sent to me by one Needlebot, the only one chasing me at the moment. My eyes shrink but they quickly turn back to normal as I breathe deeply, "Don't lose control..." I briefly turn around and use ThunderShock on it: the robot is destroyed easily. I turn back around and continue running for several more seconds before I make it to a cliff, a waterfall actually.

_I almost lost myself to my instincts...as long as I can control my instincts I won't end up like those Zubats inside the prison._

I look behind me to see many Pokémon, with countless Team Rocket henchmen right behind them, jumping down about fifty-feet without even thinking. I see a tree nearby that I can jump on to get down, so I quickly jump in the air and hit the tree trunk with force. I then slide down towards the ground as I continue to escape.

…

I open my eyes after hearing yells of roaring and crying nearby, could it be Orion nearby? I decide to crawl to the entrance, as the voices get louder, of the cave to find out what was going on. I feel strong winds almost carry me outside. I then see a bright flash of lightning which is eventually followed by the sound of thunder. I squeal with surprise as Pokémon of many shapes and sizes begin jumping from the top of the gray wall above me. Most land flawlessly on the ground and begin running deeper into the dark forest as a stampede. I am confused at first but then I begin seeing Team Rocket members attempting to jump down themselves!

"Look over there! There's one coming out of that cave!" A grunt shouts as he points his finger at me. I immediately begin to escape. Once again, I'm not used to running on all fours but at least it has gotten better…only by a little bit. It's not enough for me to run at a reasonable speed and I also fall flat on my face most of the time, so I go back to escaping on two legs, which is difficult enough. Good thing is: the grunts are having a hard time climbing down. This gives me enough time to disappear from their field of view. Regardless, I look back to make sure they're not chasing me. I turn around again but I gasp as I stop dead in my tracks to see that a Needlebot is flying straight at me. I quickly sidestep to avoid a flying syringe. My pupils quickly contract as I lose myself, my human consciousness, once again as I growl. I jump toward the robot as I aggressively release electricity from my body. The outcome is that the bolts of lightning destroy the robot. I land on two legs. I close my eyes as I shake my head several times with confusion. My eyes return to their normal size, my human consciousness quickly returns.

_There…there it goes again…my instincts…fighting for me again...it happened inside the prison and now here. That voice…where is it now? I can't let it come back…if it does who knows what will happen. I blanked out for a second during that fight…what if…I blank out again and it stays that way? Never mind that! I've got to keep moving! I can't think about it…I just can't…_

I shake my head again, "I've got to remain positive!" I look back at the robot one more time with a worried expression as I continue my escape into the forest.

I couldn't go back to the same place now because there were too many Needlebots attacking Pokémon by the river, so I had no choice but to leave this area and find hidden shelter fast. I hesitated for a second…this might be my only chance to find Orion by the river…but if I don't leave and find refuge soon I'll be captured and I'll never see him or the light of day again for sure! I had no choice, for there were too many of them! I began to make my way into the depths of the unforgiving forest, which has been a dangerous life-threatening gamble for many who have unfortunately crossed its trails and yet it feels much safer here…at least it does for now.

…

"Lucas! Where are you!?"

It was chaos throughout the forest: some Pokémon accidentally trample on other Pokémon as they try to escape, Needlebots inject their malicious ingredients into the skins of less agile ones and Team Rocket Grunts try their hardest to render the larger creatures immobile or unconscious through their own twisted means. The Pokémon who do fight back end up injuring the humans, but it's not after they have battled against the brainwashed Pokémon. I was, fortunately, one of the first to escape the battlefield without having to waste most of my breath. I begin to follow a trail parallel to the river as I try and find Lucas. The noise everywhere eventually fades to just hearing water from the river flow by, prevailing winds wisp past my ears and pellets of rain hitting my body and the ground. It's not quiet but it's enough for me to shout his name, "Lucas!" My voice echoes in the rain as I wait for a response.

_He couldn't have been taken this far, he must be nearby…but he's not by the river…did he…drown...?_

I gulp very hard from anxiousness.

"Lucas! Please! Hear me out! Where are you!?"

There's still no answer.

I continue making my way down the trail until the river finally leads me to a lake. No, it's a large pond and it's about as large as the entire area of the prison complex that we were in previously. This is the only river leading into the pond. I can see countless water lilies, lily pads, duckweeds and common reeds evenly spread out either next to the pond or floating by on it.

The rain has weakened considerably to just having light showers with some traces of thunder in the distance. I search around the entire pond for a few minutes for Lucas but there is still no sign of him anywhere. My ears droop as I sigh deeply, "Lucas…where the hell are you…please don't tell me you've…"

Unfortunately, if he was killed or captured, there's nothing I can do. If he's dead, I obviously can't bring him back to life and if he was captured it would take a lot more than one Pokémon to rescue him. I have to accept the fact that we may not see each other again. Despite all this, I still have hope that he somehow made it out of that river alive. It's because...I can smell him. This is what I know for sure: his scent is nearby but it's faint and directionless. He is alive; he probably thought ahead and hid in a safe place during all of the chaos. I just need to find him. But, now that I think about it, the farther I go the more likely we'll be spread apart from each other by the large forest.

Then, my ears go up and twitch after I hear several bushes move nearby.

"…!"

I quickly run to hide. I find a patch of tall reeds next to the pond and conceal myself inside. I remain hidden as a tall figure walks to get water from the pond. It's a five-foot tall human wearing a black/green jacket, black hat, jeans…It's Cy! I see him take out a metallic object from his bag. From what I think it is, it's what humans call Canteens. He fills it up with fresh water from the pond and drinks some right away. Afterwards, he puts it back inside his messenger bag and closes it tightly.

This is my chance…my chance to get even with him. He's responsible for everything that has happened to me over the past two weeks: the pain, the suffering, the anxiety, everything. It has come down to this very moment and Bartoli isn't here to help him this time.

He looks toward my direction as I smile mischievously. He gets up and pulls out a Poké ball, "Go away rat, before I get mad." He says coldly which only makes me smile even more, "Wait a second…you look familiar…so…you've escaped…"

I hold my fist high in the air and I then bring it down towards me, "Lucas had the pleasure of kicking Bartoli's butt, leaving me to deal with you. I hope you're ready for this." I sway my clutched hand to the right as my cheeks spark with electricity.

"I don't understand your Pika bullshit and now you've made me mad...get ready to…"

Before he even has a chance to use his Poké ball, I release several lightning bolts that head toward him. Then, as if on cue, something large lands between me and Cy before my ThunderShock gets a chance to hit him. I fall on my back as I see the human do the same thing. Large amounts of mud splatter everywhere as the creature rises from the crater it made. The electric attack has struck the metallic creature instead but does little to make it notice at all.

"Oh…no…" I say softly as I feel a sense of qualm overtake me.

"An XBRM-872 and a new model? Model 004…Impressive." Cy says, "I assume you're after him and not me."

It turns to the direction of Cy and moves toward him as the boy, still lying on his back covered in mud, crawls backward away from the advancing robot, "What are you doing…I'm not your target…"

As it gets closer, Cy begins to panic, "Model 004! I am not your target! Stand down!"

It then suddenly grabs the human with one of its arms as Cy quickly throws his Poké ball into the air, "Meowth, scratch the hell out of it!" The ball releases a white form in midair as it turns into a cat-like creature that has a gold coin attached to its head. Meowth lands on its head and its claws begin to glow white as it begins to scratch the spider robot relentlessly. Model 004 uses another arm that hits the cat Pokémon with a bone-shattering blow. It falls off toward the ground but manages to recover from the attack.

"Hey! Let him go! I got to him first! I wanna be the one to squish him like a bug!" I shout as I slam into the robot's supporting bars like I did last night which causes it to fall over in the mud.

Cy raises an eyebrow but uses this opportunity to call out his Diglett, "Diglett, Dig and strike the robot from underneath its body when it retracts its arms to recover!" He shouts, his Pokémon digs a hole and travels underground toward the Spiderbot.

Instead of taking this time to run away, I decide not to run. I will when I make Cy a crippled; however, he seems to know how to destroy this thing, so I watch how he does it first before I attack. As expected, the robot withdraws its arms to bring out the tires to roll around until it sits vertically again. Unfortunately for it, the Diglett emerges just in time and causes the robot to shake uncontrollably as electricity runs throughout its metallic body. The mole Pokémon and the cat retreat to their master. Thinking the fight with the robot is over, I begin to run toward Cy with incredible speed but he manages to look at me just in time and call Meowth to intervene.

"Make it rain money Meowth!"

The gold coin on the cat's head glows as white balls of light come out and strike me. Despite feeling some pain, I quickly recover and use Quick-Attack: it causes Meowth to fall on its back in pain, but it also recovers quickly just like me.

"Meowth, Bite." Soon after, Diglett nudges the human with its body, "No, I need you to stay right next to me. If you faint, that could be a big problem for us."

Meowth jumps toward me as my ears rise up again. I quickly jump away just before the cat tries to land on me: the large spider robot has slammed into the unsuspecting Pokémon instead of its intended target: me. The result is the small cat fainting instantly from the powerful strike.

I land with style as I see Cy call back his pet. I see the robot release two of its broken legs which fall on the ground. Diglett must have damaged the inside circuits of the robot or something. Anyways, it now spreads its remaining four legs out evenly to maintain balance. Cy also calls back Diglett and begins running away.

"Hey! I'm not done with you!" I yell as I dodge the robot's attempts to grab me. I begin chasing Cy through the forest with the Spiderbot skittering right behind me. I look back momentarily and I squeak with fright as the robot gains speed. I look back in front of me to see a line of trees that, oddly enough, I can pass through despite the fact I couldn't go through several others from last night. Cy is already squeezing through them. Ignoring him for a second, I also squeeze through easily just in time to avoid the spider slamming against the trees causing several to collapse. Cy and I avoid the falling trees just in time to see the robot struggling to remain standing on its legs. It falls over on its back once again.

"Pikachu…you have to use ThunderShock as it's trying to recover. Its weakness is at its bottom area of its body."

I turn around and narrow my eyes with anger, "Maybe I should ThunderShock you instead!"

He raises his hand toward me attempting to negotiate, "Once that thing gets up again, it'll probably get us both this time."

I narrow my eyes even more. I look back at the robot and then I run towards it. I jump as it withdraws its legs once more. I release powerful bolts of lightning which travel inside the exposed internal circuits inside. It causes the machine to thrash about uncontrollably. Then, its yellow eyes disappear as it stops moving altogether: it's been destroyed…hopefully. I land on the wet ground once again and sigh deeply.

Then I realize I forgot something as I turn around to see a long trail in front of me, Cy is running away from me! He thinks he can just run away after all that!? I'm not letting him get away!

I quickly follow him down the trail as one last sound of thunder erupts from the sky. Unbeknownst to me, the yellow eyes from the robot return shortly after.

...

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! A minor note: a poll has been made and posted on my profile by yours truly to see which character you like the most. If you're interested, just visit my page and pick your favorite, assuming you have a favorite character.**


	14. A Dream or a flashback?

**Here is the next chapter. It's the shortest but I hope you will enjoy regardless!**

**Chapter 14: A dream or a flashback?**

White light…

White light is all I can see…

I hear a voice nearby…it's calling my name…

"Lucas?" Then suddenly, the white light disappears and there I am sitting on a chair. In front of me is a table with several filthy plates. Despite this there are organized utensils set neatly on the plate nearest to me. I'm in a restaurant and I'm human again! It's somewhat noisy and bright light enters from outside through several windows surrounding the Italian-inspired bistro. It's nothing fancy but it's no dog food joint either. I like the fact it's in between, to please everyone.

I shake my head several times. I turn away from the window, which is to my left next to me, towards a young woman sitting on the other side of the table, "Huh? Oh sorry, I was just thinking about something."

"Something? Home again I presume?"

"Yea. I was thinking about life back when I was a kid."

"You know, you should really forget about all the bad experiences from your childhood. They're draining energy from you."

"Well…I am going back in a few days Jen…it's hard to keep my mind off the topic."

"True, but think about positive things! Kind of weird I'm saying this to you because you're almost always optimistic! Be positive, Mr. Positive!" She giggles as I cross my arms several times.

"I know, I know! I just…can't stop thinking about my family."

"Your father, mother?" She asks.

"And my brother." I add.

"Are they okay?" She asks me. A waiter comes and refills Jennifer's glass. He's pours a popular smoothie made from Oran Berries into her glass. We pass our plates to him and he receives it gladly. He walks away afterwards. I look at Jen with a confused face. She looks up at me as she is drinking the smoothie from her straw and raises both her eyebrows, "What?"

"I thought you hated all Berries associated with the color blue."

She moves her index finger sideways, "No…no! I hate Apicot, Belue, Pamtre, Wiki and Bluk berries."

"I remember now, the only blue-color berry you like is Oran and I remember you also hate the color blue in general..."

"Yes…sir! I only like this because it actually tastes good!" She smiles.

"Well anyways…my brother is doing fine patrolling the border between Johto and Kanto. My dad…if I can remember…is back home with mom. As for mom herself…she's always at work as usual"

"That's sweet. They're going to be happy to see you again." Jennifer replies.

"I know that for sure. I haven't seen my mom and my brother in three years. The same can't be said for my dad, I haven't seen him for more than twenty years. When I get back home…it'll be the first time I see him in person after all these years."

"Jeez…that's really something. Your dad must be proud of you, seeing as how you opened your own business in another region."

"I know he's proud of me, but it's bad that he is because of…well all that counterfeit conspiracy I found out about in the store yesterday. Anyways, he's always known I love Sinnoh: the mountains and forests here are much more beautiful, but now I want to go back home because it's safer now."

"Which reminds me…what did your dad do again during his military deployment in Johto?"

"He was a part of a vast platoon of soldiers heading west inside the country to help fight against the civil war that was going on. If I remember, he told me for the first half of the journey his commanding officer was somewhat of a fool. After the officer was killed because of his careless attitude, the group was left leaderless. They decided to do the smart thing and head back to the nearest allied base, but then came the hour when the platoon was ambushed by Johto rebels just outside of Azalea Town, a peaceful town that was under fierce control of the rebels. My father…was shot in his right arm and left leg."

"Jeez…that must have been tough for him."

"Thankfully, those were only flesh wounds. He was taken to a nearby M.A.S.H to be operated on. After a few months, he was, unfortunately, sent back into the battlefield under the command of a new officer for the remainder of the civil war. After the war ended and the rebels lost, dad was forced to remain stationed in Johto for several more years."

"That's pretty harsh…he couldn't even leave for vacation I presume? How must that feel like…not being able to see your own kids and wife for so long." Jen says as she finishes her smoothie.

"And you already know this because it's been on the news a lot: during his stay, the region had been sealed off from everybody outside the borders of Johto. The country only accepted aid from Kanto. Then, as you already know, Johto opened its borders again four years ago."

"And you were…how old again when all of this was going on?"

"During the war…ten…more or less." I explain. I see the waiter come and I ask for the check.

"Must have been hard to be a Pokémon trainer during that time. Is that why you didn't…"

"I don't want to talk about it" I say.

"Aright, what about when you left?"

"Well ten years ago, when I was eighteen, I left Kanto because the economy was doing really badly and Sinnoh was a perfect place to start a small business because it was the exact opposite: its economy was off the charts."

"Okay Lucas" Jen suddenly says, "I've heard about your family…to some extent and what made you leave…somewhat…but now I would like to know more about…you, all the good things you remember.

I blushed slightly, "I um…loved to read a lot adventure books, one of them I loved to read was the trilogy novel: Mystery Dungeon. The author who wrote the book is amazing."

"I heard of them, it's the novel where the main character is a Pokémon right?"

"Yup and as a kid reading them, I felt like I was a part of the story. It 'pulled me in' so to speak, adventure books in general did. I was inspired to become a Pokémon trainer because everyone told me the life of a trainer is one filled with excitement and adventure. I had nothing to lose."

"You still read them, the books I mean?"

I look to her, "Well…I can if I wanted to, I would feel nostalgia, but would they bring the same feelings now…I'm not sure. I can say this for sure: the same feeling of adventure I felt as a kid came back to me yesterday."

"Here you go sir." The waiter hands over the check to me, "Thank you."

"What else did you do as a kid?" She asks.

"I did a lot of walking around. I loved scenery, walking through parks and safe forests made me feel like I was always on an adventure."

"I did the same thing actually." Jen responds

"Really?" I say.

"Yea, but for me…walking down a trail I would always feel a sense of freedom…freedom…from my parents…Oh dear…now I'm thinking too much about my own parents..." She looks away in embarrassment, "My mom...she's always working in this...place...and it's horrible to see her do the things that she does..."

_Jen…what do you mean?_

Then suddenly, everything around me suddently gets dark…

_Wait! Jen!_

_Jen…_

…

**Hey guys! I apologize if this chapter may seem confusing to you, but I've really wanted to make a slight back story for Lucas. Anyways, ****I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Once again, a poll has been made and posted on my profile for you to vote on which character you like the most. If you're interested, just visit my profile page by clicking on my name next to the name of my story on the top of the page. Thanks!**


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